The Art of Deception
by Shockra
Summary: Abby Dixon and family are now safely within the walls of Alexandria and have survived the walls being breached. Things seem to be going well for her and Daryl when something Abby feared was coming, ruins their small amount of peace. A Daryl/OC pairing. The third and final installment of Life Goes On trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So here it finally is! I had planned on posting it yesterday but life happens. I'm technically not done writing this but hopefully by the time I catch up, it'll be done. I had an inclination of doing a part four if there was a season 9 but now, even though there is, this will be the last full sized story. There might still be one shots but this will be the last Abby/Daryl story...unless inspiration smacks sometime in the future.

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Abby stared out of the top floor balcony window of their townhouse, watching the daily activities of the Alexandrian residents below. It had been two weeks since they'd cleared out the walkers who'd breached their walls and things had been going well. With Reg's leadership, they'd managed to not only rebuild the portion of damaged wall but had also reinforced some of the more vulnerable sections. They were also working out ways to prevent people from climbing the outside of the wall and had strong catwalks around almost half of the wall.

Reg seemed grateful to be kept busy, probably to prevent him from wallowing in the grief of losing his wife. The whole community felt the loss of Deanna, the original residents seeming almost lost with out her. Reg seemed willing enough to let Rick take things over, not really comfortable with the leadership role, as was the same with most of the residents and Rick continued on as he always did. Daryl told Abby about his encounter with the people in the town, then in the woods and the story disconcerted Abby. Someone else was out there and they had people and they didn't sound like they played nice. He was also very irritated in losing his crossbow and the bike he had put together himself.

After the first week, Denise had let Carl go home to recover, much to his relief. Rick was still concerned for his son but for a different reason when he'd first been hurt. He was healing well and was on his feet, going to school and hanging out with most of his friends again but he'd become short tempered recently, frustrated with having to relearn basic things like feeding himself, drinking from a glass and even grabbing things. Abby had been trying to help him initially, but Rick eventually pulled her to the side and asked her to stop. He didn't have a problem with what or how she was doing things but Rick told her that Carl was embarrassed with not being able to do some basic things and her being there to watch him fail at those things, made things worse. Rick told her Carl needed to figure it out on his own. Abby would never admit it out loud, but she'd been slightly hurt but at the same time, Carl had a healthy dose of the Grimes DNA in him, which meant he had the Grimes family pride.

By the end of the first week, Tobin had finished one of the townhouses for Daryl and Abby, giving them a place of their own; much to both of their delight. It made Abby feel very happy to truly be alone with him, it made it feel like they were actually married, not to mention without other people around, Daryl was more himself in front of her. In the week since they'd gotten their own place, Daryl had started to display personality traits that she hadn't had the privilege of seeing in the past.

Sighing, Abby went back inside only to be greeted by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Abby frowned as she walked towards it, she wasn't expecting anyone. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Carl standing there but Abby smiled, always happy to see her nephew.

"Hey, kiddo! What're you doing here?" Abby asked as she stepped aside to let him in.

"First, could you stop calling me 'kiddo'? I'm not a kid anymore!" Carl complained as he walked in and sat on her sofa, putting his dirty boots up on the coffee table.

"Sorry, _kiddo_ , but yer still a kid to me." Abby said as she walked over and shoved his feet off of the coffee table. "Would you rather me call you _teenager_ , instead?"

"Yes, or I don't know, how about Carl?" Carl suggested sarcastically.

"Get used to it buddy! I hate it that yer dad calls me Abigail but you don't see me complaining!" Abby said as sat down on the couch beside him.

Carl frowned. "You don't like that? I thought you didn't mind since he always calls you that."

"Oh, I mind but I lost that battle that I started when I was 10, but I gave up fighting it when I was 16. He knows perfectly well that I don't like it but it's become a habit now and I since I gave up fightin' it, it's just how he addresses me." Abby said with a shrug. "Now what can I do for you, _kiddo_?"

Carl shook his head then, caught somewhere between annoyed and amused, then suddenly looked down awkwardly. "I'm supposed to get my wound clean today but I hate going to the clinic and I don't want to ask Dad or Michonne to do it. Then I remembered that you've got some medic training, you can handle it!"

Abby watched Carl carefully as she rubbed his shoulder. "Why don't you want to go to the clinic?"

"Because! Just anyone can walk in there and see...it." Carl said bitterly, indicating his ruined eye.

"Honey, it don't matter what others see or think. You're still the same person you were before." Abby stressed.

"But I'm not!" Carl said angrily. "I can barely drink a cup of water without missing my mouth, let alone shooting something!"

"It just takes time to retrain yourself, to get your eye hand coordination back but I know it's frustrating. You'll be back to being normal in no time."

"I'll never be normal, auntie." Carl mumbled.

"You're right, you won't be but what's wrong that? Normal is overrated!" Abby said chuckling. "I mean, I'm so not normal, am I? And I'm okay with that. Daryl's far from normal too. And what's normal anyways? Especially now days."

Carl smiled for a moment then frowned again. "At least you don't have a hideous scar on your face." Carl said as he touched his eye.

Abby sighed. "You're not hideous! And just because my scars aren't all on the surface, it doesn't make them any less ugly. Trust me there's way more ugly in me, than there is with you." Carl looked off to the side, uncomfortable. Abby smiled as she reached over and pulled him over to her and hugged him tightly. "And obviously I ain't the only one who thinks you're handsome because you got two girls vying for your attention!"

"Auntie! That's not true!" Carl exclaimed as he turned beet red and pulled away from her.

Abby gave him a big sloppy kiss before letting him go and getting up, making Carl complain as he wiped the saliva from his face.

"Take that bandage off, I'll clean if for you." Abby said, grinning as she moved off.

Carl smiled at her sheepishly. "Thank you."

Abby walked into the bathroom where she kept first aid supplies in case either her or Daryl came home injured, which happened more than they'd admit to the others. She walked back to where Carl still sat as he unwrapped his eye and set out the supplies onto the coffee table. Once the last piece of gauze dropped away, Abby turned Carl's head so she could see the void where his eye used to be.

Carl fidgeted while she cleaned his wound and when Daryl suddenly came through the door, he turned away. Abby grabbed Carl's face and made him turn back as Daryl walked by, Daryl barely noticing them as he went to the kitchen and pulled out a beer from the fridge. Daryl leaned against the counter and watched what they were doing.

"Shouldn't that Denise lady be doin' that?" He asked, his tone casual, like he didn't really care.

"He wanted me to do it, so that's what I'm doin'." Abby said as she gave him a 'shut up' look.

Daryl just shrugged as he took a sip from his beer. "You plannin' on goin' with Rick an' I to check out that base we found before?"

"Of course. You two couldn't get in there without me." Abby said rolling her eyes, making Carl smirk as she started wrapping his wound up once more.

"Can I come?" Carl asked.

"You'll have to ask your dad 'bout that." Abby said as she finally sat back.

"I've never seen a base before, I'm kinda curious what it's like. Do you really think you'll find any thing useful?" Carl asked as he turned sideways so he could talk to Abby and Daryl both.

Abby shrugged. "I doubt any joe-shmoe would have cleaned it out, and it's almost impossible to accidently find the door from within the base and even if you did, it'd take high-powered explosives strategically placed, to get that door open. You'd have to be the same class of Marine as I was or higher, to even know it was there. It looked like it had been occupied at least back when the outbreak happened, so I don't know if anybody would've taken off with stuff, like those guys I found back in the early days at the prison."

"Could there be people inside?" Daryl asked. "You know, holed up?"

Abby pursed her lips as she thought then shook her head. "Unlikely. They could batten down the hatches for a month, two at most with the food supplies they had inside. If there were people in there, they've been gone a long time, and that hatch looked untouched for possibly years."

"I doubt dad will let me go." Carl groused.

Abby ruffled his hair. "Because he wants you to try and be a kid while you can. We don't know when things will go bad again, so we have to enjoy what we can, when we can."

"I guess." Carl finally conceded. "I should get going, I have school."

Abby nodded as he got to his feet, he stopped to bend over and kissed her on the cheek before turning and leaving. After Carl had gone, Daryl walked to the door and locked it.

"What was that 'bout?" Daryl asked, indicating his eye as he walked to the door.

"He feels self-conscious, doesn't want to go to the clinic because just anyone can walk in and see his wound." Abby said staring at the door sadly, worrying about Carl's mental state.

"Must suck losin' an eye as a kid but they adapt quicker than us old shits." Daryl said as he sat directly beside her, practically in her lap and put an arm casually on her shoulders.

Abby glared at him. "We ain't old!"

Daryl smiled at her mischievously as he leaned in, his nose just a hairs breadth from hers. "Prove it."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yer just horny and using that challenge to goad me into complying. Don't think I didn't notice you lockin' the door."

Daryl planted a kiss on her lips. "Since when do I need to goad you into sleeping with me? I just do that for the hell of it." He said haltingly, in between kisses as he started from her mouth and moved his way down her jaw towards her neck.

Abby smiled as she let him push her on to her back. "Never, but I was thinking I might need to make you work harder for it." She said as he pushed her shirt up and ran his hands over the skin of her stomach.

"Oh?" Daryl asked as he planted kisses on her stomach.

Abby bit her lip and closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through his ever-growing hair. "But not today." She said with a sigh.

The next morning, Abby sat in the back of the car, knees pushed up against the back of Daryl's seat as she leaned on her hand that was propped against the window frame. Beside her, Michonne leaned forward as she talked with Daryl and Rick who sat in the front with Rick behind the wheel. Abby felt exhausted, in a good kind of way. Her and Daryl had been at it all night, a benefit of having their own place, they didn't have to worry about people hearing them. They had been going at it like a pair of rabbit's in spring, making love all over their little townhouse. Some places were odd but she'd been standing there and Daryl just decided he needed it right there at that moment and she let him.

"Abigail, is this the road?" Rick asked looking over his shoulder at her.

Abby straightened up and looked out windshield. "Yup, that's the one."

Rick nodded, then turned down the road. He flew down the dirt road until the gate came into view and then pulled over to the side, out of sight of anyone peering down the road. The four of them climbed out of the car, collected their gear then followed Abby as she trudged into the forest. After a ten minute walk, the three of them stood in front of the rock pile Abby and Daryl had found before and watched as Abby turned the power back on to the pin pad, lifted the fake concrete rock then entered the pin. Like last time, the lock clicked and, with Daryl's help, lifted the lid.

"Well I'll be damned." Rick mumbled as he looked down the hole.

"So, who's the walker bait?" Daryl asked as he too looked down the hole also.

Michonne pulled out three glow sticks, cracked them then dropped them down the hole. "I'll go, I've got the sword." She said as she sat on the edge then swung her legs inside.

"I'll be right behind you." Abby as she strung her assault rifle across her back.

Michonne put her foot on the first wrung and started down the ladder that was built into the wall. Once she was six feet down, Abby sat on the edge then started down the hole after her. By the time Abby had made it to the ground, Michonne was carefully surveying the narrow hall but there was nothing to see.

"Well, at least we'll see them coming." Michonne said quietly.

"It turns into a maze after this." Abby said. She'd tried to draw them a map as best as she could recall but that information was almost six years old and she'd only been in a part of the complex.

"Great." Michonne said with a sigh. "So how many people usually man a facility like this?"

Daryl stepped up beside Abby as he turned on his flashlight then pulled crossbow off of his back as Rick finished descending. Abby shrugged. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, fifty, maybe sixty?"

"So, there could be about that many walkers down here." Rick said sounding slightly annoyed.

"On the bright side, most of them would be paper pushers. Most of the armed and armoured people would be topside but it'll likely be like the CDC." Abby said smirking slightly.

"You're gonna have to clarify that for me." Michonne said as she kept her eye glued down the hall.

"Pretty much everyone jumped ship or ate a bullet." Daryl said. "There was only one doctor left."

"If it was underground like this, why'd you leave?" Michonne asked frowning as she finally turned back to them.

"Trust me, we wouldn't have." Rick said with a sigh. "It had an abundance of medical supplies, food, guns, ammunition but it had an expiry date."

Michonne frowned. "That's incredibly vague."

"It blew up, nearly with us in it." Abby said. "Ran out of power and it being the Center for _Disease_ Control, it had a backup plan to incinerate and destroy all diseases and make sure all those diseases never saw the light of day. Jenner never told us when we got there, that the place was about to capsize, we'd have probably tried to find more fuel, keep it going."

"I guess it makes sense to destroy the place but there could have been a cure in there!" Michonne said shaking her head.

"Yeah, I guess we'll never know." Rick said with a sigh. "Now let's get this done. Abigail, do you think there's a power generator?"

"Sure. Whether its got any juice, that's another story." Abby said nodding.

"Well, maybe we should turn on the lights, if we can. It'd make things easier." Rick suggested.

"Yeah you might be right." Abby said with a nod. "This way."

They finally started down the hall, moving slowly and quietly, trying to not attract any unnecessary attention if there was something down there. Abby twisted and turned down the hallway, leading them to where she thought she might find the power station. She didn't actually know for sure, where it was but she made an educated guess, and they were relying on her.

As they went, they encountered only two walkers, both in suits like Abby had predicted but what unsettled all of them, is the fact they hadn't encountered more. Abby wasn't entirely right about the location of the power station but she wasn't entirely wrong either. It was located down the same hall but at the other end. After Rick and Daryl had pried the door open, the four of them cautiously entered.

The room was a twenty by twenty square room with a bank of generators along the back wall and various technical machinery, that Abby wasn't sure what it did, dominated the centre of the room. Like the generator's in the CDC, they had a hose leading from the generators into huge barrels of fuel but unlike the CDC, these where all full.

"Weird." Abby mumbled as she stared at them. "Must've shipped most everyone outta here to deal with the problems in Washington and left a skeleton crew."

"That'd explain why there have been so few walkers in the halls." Daryl said with a shrug.

"It does make sense but we shouldn't let our guard down." Rick said as he started shining his light around the room. "Let's get this thing going."

They searched until they found the master switch, then, when the generator's roared to life, they shielded their faces from the bright lights. Once they'd gotten used to the bright lights, Daryl went to the door and carefully opened it. After opening it an inch, he finally opened the door fully and poked his head out of the door.

"Nothin' so far." He said turning back.

"I imagine a place like this has surveillance, do you know where that'd be?" Rick asked as he turned to his sister once more.

Abby shrugged. "No, I didn't need to know that. I was just the sword, I didn't need to know what the head was doing. This was just an educated guess, that would be somewhere hard to find."

"If we could find it, could you get us in?" Rick continued asking.

Abby frowned. "Not likely. I had fairly high clearance but like I said, I was the sword, I did what the head told me and didn't argue... usually."

"Why do you wanna know, anyways?" Daryl asked, also frowning.

"I figured it'd be easier to see where all the threats are, instead of running into them." Rick said with a shrug.

"We could use this place, you know. As a backup plan." Michonne suddenly pointed out. "If things go south on Alexandria, we could flee here."

"Certainly better than the options we had last time." Daryl muttered.

Abby nodded "It sure is but I think we keep it lookin' abandoned until we need it. If someone else finds it, we'd be hooped."

"Let's go find those guns." Daryl said impatiently, standing by the door.

"Does this place make you uncomfortable?" Abby asked, smiling as she walked to the door.

"As Abraham would say, 'it makes my ass itch'." Daryl said as he finally stepped out into the hall.

"Sounds like something you'd say too." Abby retorted, her eyes sharp as she followed after him. She understood what he meant though, it just felt like something was about to jump out and try to eat them.

"Which way, Sacagawea?" Daryl asked as he looked both ways.

"This way, Tonto." Abby said, earning her a snicker from him as him and the other two followed after her.

Abby twisted and turned down a couple of halls, passing laboratories and offices as they went. When they passed by the second lab, Rick stopped and stared into the room through the big glass window.

"This place is starting to look like a research facility instead of a military base." Rick said with a frown.

Abby shrugged. "It sometimes acted as both. This place dealt with some seriously classified stuff, some of it never left the base."

"Did you deal with that sort of stuff?" Michonne asked, genuinely curious.

Abby smiled. "I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you."

"If this place has so many secrets, then why didn't it blow up like the CDC?" Daryl asked as he joined them in gazing through the window.

"Probably do have fail safes, jus' not the kind that destroy buildings." Abby said with a shrug. "Those labs didn't deal with deadly diseases, think 'crime lab'."

"So, they did their own forensics, why?" Michonne asked frowning.

Abby shrugged again. "Sometimes it was necessary to find the bad guys. Pursuing some of the world's worst people usually took years to catch them. The bigger the crime, the more clever the assholes seem to be. Come on, we should get back before dark."

Abby led them the rest of the way to the armory without further pause. When they arrived, it was obvious that she had led them to the right destination. The hall ended in a huge octagonal room with benches and lockers dominating the center of the room and big steel grated gates blocking the entrances into the eight pockets along the wall. Daryl walked over to one then whistled.

"We could fight a war with this shit." He said as he moved on to the second gate.

"Kinda what it was for." Abby said as she walked up to one gate, punched in a code and grinned when it buzzed and clicked open.

"Wait. Maybe we should leave this stuff here." Michonne said frowning. "We could clear out the walkers in the fence, take their stuff, that way if Alexandria ever falls, we'll have a place to go to."

Abby looked over at Rick. "It's not a bad idea, I could do most of the clearing myself or we could leave them for now. They have the bullets here to replace what I use and maybe I could give a couple people a more technical lesson on shooting. We could make sure it's clear down here today, and then maybe Beth and I or someone else, can come back and do an inventory."

Rick walked around the room as she talked and stopped to look back at her when she stopped. "You're both probably right, after what happened with the wolves, I feel like our weapons aren't particularly well protected. If they had gotten there, things would've become even more ugly."

"We should keep this knowledge to a select few, I mean even with needing Abby's code, some smart asshole might find a way in." Daryl added. "Maybe just keepin' it amongst ours for now."

"Daryl's right, if our enemy found this place, it could be dangerous. Limiting the knowledge will keep it safe." Abby agreed.

Rick nodded. "Fine, we'll just take some ammunition and a few toys. The rest will stay here. Let's gather what we need, then start mapping this place out. I don't want to waste more fuel than we have to."

Abby grabbed some ammunition for her rifle, another similar to hers, new camo pants, sniper camouflage and a modification for her scope that gave her night vision. Rick grabbed a couple of silencers that were compatible with the pistols they had, a couple suits of body armor, a pair of long range, closed channel radios and a pair of night vision goggle's.

Daryl sat on one of the benches, sketching out the paths they'd already taken on a notepad he'd found in a locker while Michonne continued to rummage through the lockers. When everyone was done, they continued wandering the halls, this time making their way to the mess hall but stopping and looking into rooms as they went, marking what they were on Daryl's map.

When they finally made it, they found a disturbing scene. In the center of the room, about a dozen corpses lay in a pile, all dressed in suits or lab coats, not one in fatigue's. As they got closer, they could see that each one on the top, had a bullet in the head, but the ones at the bottom had bullets riddling their bodies also.

"Looks like they figured out how to kill 'em properly half way through their execution." Daryl said from where he knelt by the pile. "But they don't look like walkers."

Abby shrugged. "Maybe they were infected but hadn't turned yet? Startin' to wanna know what happened here."

"They've been here a long time, probably since near the beginning." Rick said as he too inspected the bodies.

"Do know how to find out?" Michonne asked as she watched both men inspect the pile.

Abby looked off into the distance. "We could try the General's office or maybe the CIC?"

Daryl stood up. "What's the CIC?

"It's where intelligence is sent and operations are monitored." Abby answered simply.

"And you can get into there?" Michonne asked.

"Into the CIC, sure, but I know how much I'd have access to the data banks." Abby answered. "As for the General's office, it'd depends on whether he locked the door."

"We'll take a look in the kitchen, gather what we need. You two can go check those two locations, see if you can find out what happened." Rick said as he pulled out the radios, turned one on and handed it to Abby.

Abby looked at him surprised, "Really? That's very unlike you."

"Sue me, I'm curious too and it seems secure enough in here." Rick replied as he clipped the other radio on to his belt.

Michonne grabbed Abby's arm. "Don't argue with the man, he might change his mind. Let's go!"

Abby and Michonne smiled at each other as Rick rolled his. Abby gave Daryl a quick kiss, then led Michonne out of the room. The General's office was nearest, so Abby headed straight for it. As they walked side by side, Michonne looked over at Abby.

"You said you'd only been here once but you seem to know your way around pretty well." Michonne commented.

"Eidetic memory, I don't usually forget things. Rick never got why I joined the military instead of doing something in the sciences, but I don't enjoy that kind of thing. I prefer action and adventure over staring into a telescope." Michonne snickered at her comment, making Abby sighed. "I see the irony but it's a completely different kind of scope."

Michonne grinned. "I know. So, you're as smart as Eugene, then."

"In a way." Abby said with a feeble shrug. "War tactics and calculating wind speeds are more my thing."

They continued down the hall in silence, looking in rooms and expanding Daryl's map as they went. When they came across a curving hall, Michonne frowned as she stopped and looked down the hall.

"What's down that way?" She asked.

"Many things. They call this hall the track because it's like a freeway, a faster way to get to most places. Also used to go for a jog." Abby said as she waited for Michonne to continue following her. "We crossed it in the dark before."

"Why haven't we used it?" Michonne asked.

"Because at that point it was quicker to go straight across than around." Abby replied, then turned down a different hall. "C'mon."

Michonne finally followed Abby once more. After another couple of minutes, they finally arrived at the office and luckily, it was open. When they turned on the office lights, they both stopped to stare at the corpse, sitting in a chair as it slumped forward on to the desk. A sheet had been draped over the body and you could see a knife wound in the center of the big dried blood stain.

Abby slowly walked forward, pulling her knife as she walked, then gave the corpse a good solid poke. When it didn't move, Abby sheathed her knife once more and pulled back the sheet. With help from Michonne, they carefully sat the body back so they could get a better look, revealing that it was in fact the man who the office belonged to, General Goodman. On his deteriorated hand you could still see a bite mark, probably from a walker and he was dressed in full Ceremonial garb, he probably knew he was dying.

"Did you know him?" Michonne asked as she pulled off the I.D. card still attached to his lapel.

" _Know_ is a bit of a strong word but I met him once, a couple years ago. He was a good man, loved by his men. Probably too proud to shoot himself, so he probably had someone finish him when he passed." Abby said sadly.

"Will this get us into restricted areas?" Michonne asked, holding up the card.

Abby nodded sadly. "Some, but some areas still require a code."

Abby picked up the note that the General had been slumped over and read it.

 _To Command,_

 _I hereby relinquish my command to whomever remains beneath me. As my last command I have ordered CPT. Finnegan to plunge his blade into my skull to prevent me from rising and further harming what remains of our once fine country._

 _General T.K. Goodman_

Abby sighed, she was right on both fronts but how did he get bit and what happened to everyone else? Abby put the letter down and was about to turn away when an unusual mark on the letter made her stop. A small _bl_ was written on the corner, small enough that she almost hadn't seen it.

Abby then noticed, clutched in the first of the general's good hand was what looked like a flashlight. Abby frowned, why would he need a flashlight when you had power? Intrigued, Abby pried the flashlight from the General's decaying hand as gently as possible.

Michonne frowned as she turned around to face Abby, as she had been investigating the big book case that lined two of the rooms, walls.

"What are you doing?" She asked as Abby clicked on the flashlight.

Abby looked at the beam that shined from the flashlight, a blue light. "Following a suspicion."

Michonne came over as Abby first shined the light onto the one side of the letter, then the other. When it revealed another message, Michonne looked at her in shock.

"What does it mean?" She asked.

It looked like gibberish, but Abby recognized it as a cypher that the Corp used during covert operations. Abby grabbed a pen and notepad that was sitting on the General's desk then asked Michonne to hold the light on the note as she worked on deciphering the message.

Ten minutes later, Michonne picked up the pad and looked at what Abby had circled. "I still don't get it."

"It's his authorization code. He didn't want it to fall into enemy hands or some ignorant idiot who had no idea what they'd found." Abby said heading for the door.

"What _have_ we found?" Michonne asked as she followed after her.

"Depends on what's left, maybe just guns, a couple RPG's and some armor but if he neglected his duty, then some other dangerous goods."

"Like nukes?"

Abby laughed. "Some bombs but nothing that big. There are some poisons, access to satellites if you know what you're doing and if they're still operational and some big-time secrets that were never supposed to see the light of day...but I doubt those matters much now."

"So now we're heading to the CIC?"

"Yup, we might be able to tap into security there, now that we have the General's I.D. and code."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. As they turned down the final corridor, four walkers dressed in full body armor, turned at the sound of their footsteps then lumbered towards them, moaning hungrily. Abby pulled her pistol, shot two before they got to close and Michonne stepped forward and quickly dispatch the remaining two.

After quickly checking the walkers over and relieving them of their guns, ammo and grenades, they finally approached the door. Abby entered her own code and watch in satisfaction as the door slid aside. Instead of following Abby inside, Michonne stopped and stared in disbelief. The room was large, with dozens of computers sprinkled all around the massive room. On the back wall, monitors dominated the whole wall, lit up but not displaying anything but the Marine Corps symbol. Abby walked down the center towards the front of the room, down three steps into the pit, then sat down at a computer.

By the time Michonne had finally joined her, Abby had gained access to the security footage. Most of the cameras outside had been disabled but you could still see the front gate, a couple of perimeter cameras and one that was attached to the only building that was still standing. Abby carefully inspected the live footage, looking for signs of life beyond Rick and Daryl. Upon not seeing anything, Abby bent the overhead mic towards her and clicked it on to the inside speakers.

"I see you!" Abby said smiling, earning a chuckle from Michonne as Daryl and Rick looked around them. "You might want to join us. Follow the yellow brick road." Abby sat back and snickered as Daryl and Rick looked at each other in confusion. "Look down." Abby supplied. They looked down, then Daryl pointed at the yellow line on the ground. "There you go. One of us will open the door for you."

Abby finally sat back and smiled over at Michonne as she leaned against the desk, chuckling. "Sometimes I think you're one of the most serious people I've ever met, then you pull out something like that." Michonne said smiling.

"I'm naturally fun loving and extremely sarcastic, but it's a shit-storm out there right now."

Michonne smirked. "Is that true about Rick too?"

Abby grinned, "He's the worst! Was always teasin' me! Said it was his brotherly duty to bug me, hence him callin' me Abigail!"

Michonne chuckled. "I didn't think you liked that, Hershel called you that too though."

"Because he was old and thought it suited me better." Abby replied, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the computer. "I'm gonna poke around in the system, do you mind waiting for them?"

"Sure. I was good with computers before but I wouldn't know what to look for. Maybe we shoulda brought Glenn, he seems the type to be good with that." Michonne commented as she straightened from where she leaned.

"I'll ask him when we get back." Abby mumbled, focused on what she was doing as Michonne patted her on the back and then walked back to the door.

Abby lost track of time as she poured over the security footage, so when Daryl placed his hands on her shoulders, she jumped. Abby put a hand on her heart as she tipped her head back to look up at him, he smirked slightly and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I called yer name." Daryl said.

"Yeah I guess I got a little caught up." Abby said as she looked back to the screen.

"Did you find anything?" Rick asked as he came up on one side of her and Michonne stood on the other.

"I've only been through a little of the security feed, and I can only show you what happened but not necessarily why. If the time stamps are correct, this base fell the day _before_ the outbreak hit us in Georgia." Abby said as she called up the feed.

First, she showed the laboratories, walkers where stumbling through the halls attacking the people trapped there. The General must have sealed off the section earlier, but Abby had yet to find the event that would have persuaded him to do so. Abby fast-forwarded it to an hour later when a strike team breached the area and killed anything that moved.

She then showed the cafeteria at approximately the same time as the attack in laborites, as the people they'd seen in the pile, were herded into the room. At first the people just sat around, annoyed with being detained but then one man suddenly collapsed while grabbing a coffee. They tried to resuscitate but ended up giving up. Five minutes later, the man sat up, startling the woman who still knelt beside him, and just watched as he bit into her shoulder. The woman screamed and the others rushed forward to pull the woman away, another man got bit in the process before men with guns came forward and started firing.

Finally, an accidently shot to the head, put the walker down. Once the commotion had died down, the c.o. went to the internal phone system and reported the incident. Abby recognized the moment when he was given the order to eliminate all of the other people they'd detained, his whole demeanor changed, Abby had seen that change many times before, had even experienced it herself but he was a soldier and he did his job.

"Do you think this is where the outbreak first happened?" Rick asked frowning as he watched.

Abby shook her head, "No, it couldn't have spread so quickly. It was likely an airborne weapon of some sort."

"But you said it started here a day earlier than back home." Rick reminded her.

"I'm not a scientist but it'd be logical to launch the first weapon in Washington. In all likelihood, a solider probably died in his room and they brought him to the labs to investigate the death, then he rose up bit the doctors and so on." Abby said shrugging. "There's thousand of hours of footage, it'd take a long time to sift through it all."

"Did you find out what happened to the General? How he got bit?" Michonne asked.

"No but…" Abby frowned as she concentrated once more.

She exited the security program and started looking through the General's email's. Finally, she found an email that had been sent to both High Command and the Pentagon labelled Incident report. The email read:

 _To Whom This May Concern,_

 _As of 18:06, I, General T.K. Goodman, have given the order abandon base. After multiple cases of a mysterious outbreak that first kills its host then brings back its host as a flesh-eating creature, I have ordered all personnel to load up into the containment trucks and to be shipped to an undisclosed CDC location to sit in quarantine until they are deemed healthy. Myself and two dozen men have opted to remain behind, residing in the surface building's until otherwise ordered, and keep this base protected._

 _Soon after this message is sent, I will then order a complete purge of sensitive information then shut all systems down until ordered to bring back online._

 _God Bless these United States of America,_

 _General T.K. Goodman_

After everyone had read the email, Abby looked at each one of them. "I doubt we'll find what really happened here. Obviously, the system wasn't completely purged since we were able to see the security feed but I've hardly found anything else, I was lucky to find this."

"So, it was pointless." Rick said sounding annoyed.

"No, it wasn't." Abby said smiling as she held up the General's I.D. card. "This is an all-access pass to the entire base. So long as we have juice, this I.D. and the General's code, we can get into anywhere. If any of the bases defense systems are in tact, we could use them if we get attacked while here."

Rick quirked an eyebrow. "Defense system?"

"Think guns, big guns that will take out any tank, armoured vehicle or aircraft…if they still work." Abby said as she suddenly returned to the keyboard. After a couple more minutes, she pursed her lips. "They've been manually locked."

"What does that mean?" Daryl asked as his head came down beside hers to look at what she was looking at.

"It means that that hatches have been manually locked and disconnected from the system so that no ordinary joe shmoe can activate them. Considering that the General stayed here and eventually came back down here, tells me that he knew that civilization had fallen and he didn't want any Governor type figures getting their hands on this stuff."

"Why not destroy it?" Rick asked frowning.

Abby shrugged, "Maybe he hoped that the good guys would be able to use it to take Washington back from the dead? Or maybe he had but after he died the next in line vetoed the order, I don't know. They might've attempted to destroy the base, since the main entrance was destroyed but maybe there was a mutiny? It'd explain why there is so many dead soldiers on the surface."

Rick sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "Maybe we'll look into this more later but we've already been here way longer then I'd planned and we're wasting fuel. Let's shut everything down, and get out of here."

* * *

If this is the first time reading work, I suggest you read Life Goes On and When Shit Hits The Fan. They cover from Season one on til this point. If you've already read my work then continue! Haha. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it!

-Shockra


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! How's everyone? You know starting another story before finishing the other is dangerous. I have to be extra careful, when I post a chapter, to not accidentally post a chapter from the other story. If I do that, I'm so sorry! I've done that with other stories before! I made a couple big changes in this chapter from the original, hopefully I managed to find all the areas that needed changing. If there are some inconsistencies that I missed, let me know and I'll fix it. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Abby put her chin on Daryl's chest and made a pouty face. "Why can't I come with you two?" She asked him as he traced slowly circles on her bare back.

"Rick wants you here, overseeing the construction of the defenses." Daryl said then pointed to her temple. "That beautiful mind in there is a tactical database and your brain stormin' with Reg is producing some great advantages that none of the rest of us would come close to thinkin' of."

"But I'm getting bored bein' stuck behind the walls all the time." Abby said as she crawled on top of him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

It had been a week since they'd come back from the base and Abby had yet to leave since. Rick had decided that they needed fuel and a lot of it but he didn't tell the others why. So now, while the others went out to scavenge for food, they also brought have a dozen containers with them to put fuel in as they came across it. Rick had told Glenn and Carol about the base but they were the only ones Rick trusted to know for now. They'd gathered together and made an evacuation plan, so if something didn't go well for them, Glenn and or Carol would lead the survivors to the base. Rick had Abby give them her code so that they could gain access to the base but only wanted Abby and himself to know the General's code.

Abby thought that was ridiculous, she trusted Glenn and Carol and the others, so she told Daryl the General's code and where she'd hidden the I.D., something Glenn had undoubtedly done with Maggie. Apparently, Rick forgot what it was like to be married.

"You know I'd like you there." Daryl said as he put his hands on her bare hips, his anticipation evident. "But Rick doesn't, you'll have to talk him." He continued as his hands slid up her side then to her chest.

Abby let out a frustrated sighed and rolled off him then reached over the side of the bed for her pants. Daryl frowned as he sat up. "Where you goin'?"

Abby glared back at him, "To brain storm."

"What about this?" Daryl asked indicating his throbbing erection.

"You got to hands, use 'em." Abby said as she pulled on her shirt.

"You can't get mad at me for somethin' that's outta my control." Daryl said as he finally climbed out of be also.

Abby looked back at him. "Mad no, irritated, yes."

111

Abby watched in irritation as Daryl and Rick climbed into their car. Daryl had tried to talk to her, to calm her down but she was having none of it right now. She had tried to talk Rick into letting her go with them but he refused, citing the same excuse as Daryl had given to her earlier.

Once they left, Abby walked back to their townhouse, changed into her new camo pants, Kevlar vest and braided her hair then grabbed her pistol and an assault rifle that she had taken from the base. She then went back outside and over to where they had a small car parked.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked, startling Abby as she opened the door.

"Going out." Abby replied as she threw her pack in the backseat.

"Out where?" Beth asked as she grabbed onto the door. "I thought you were supposed to be helping Reg with more defense ideas."

"And I need a break, so I'm going out." Abby said then slid into the car and swatted Beth's hands to the side.

Beth sighed as she stepped back. "Can I at least come with? I've been stuck behind these walls way longer than you have."

Abby looked at Beth, unimpressed then sighed. "Fine. You got five minutes to collect your things and meet me by the gate."

Beth nodded excitedly as she ran off in the direction of the house she stayed in with Glenn and Maggie. Once she'd disappeared from sight, Abby closed the door and rolled slowly to the gate and left her car idling while she waited. It was almost five minutes exactly, when Beth appeared around the corner, running hard to make sure Abby didn't drive off without her.

"Can't we take something nicer?" She asked once she reached the car and sat in the passenger seat while she tried to catch her breath.

"I wasn't planning on going with anyone, nor was I planning on doing a lot of scavenging." Abby said as she put her car in gear. "And I've hardly driven since the outbreak, so I'm taking this opportunity."

Beth sighed as she slid down and put her knees up. "Can we look for... never mind."

Abby frowned as she looked over at Beth, her suddenly quiet tone catching Abby's attention. "Look for what?"

"It's nothing." Beth was trying to sound nonchalant but Abby could hear her panicked undertones.

Abby twisted so she could actually see Beth. "Tell me or you ain't comin'."

Beth considered for a moment then winced. "I was going to say a baby store...so I could pick something up for Maggie and Glenn's baby but...I get why you might not want to..."

Abby sighed. "People need to stop pussy-footing around me! I'm fine!" Abby growled. "There's a suburb to the west that has its own shopping district, we can try there."

Abby indicated for the guard to open the gate, then drove out slowly at first, then steadily picked up speed. They just turned down a street that led to the suburbs, when Abby spotted something that brought a smile to her face. A biker store.

She slowed down and pulled into the parking lot then turned the engine off and waited to see if any walkers came out. When only two came out, Beth insisted on taking them both out. Once they were down, Beth turned back to Abby as she leaned against the car to watch.

"What do you hope to find here?" Beth asked as she cleaned off her knife and put it back in it's sheath.

"Ideally, another motorcycle, a brand new one but that's very unlikely. Hopefully we'll at least find some oil, maybe a couple tools." Abby said, then stood up. "C'mon."

Beth rolled her eyes. "You and Daryl were practically made for each other."

Abby grinned at Beth then rubbed off some dirt from the windows and peered inside. "Looks untouched but no motorcycle's." Abby commented as she first shook the door, to see if it was locked then knelt down and started picking at the lock.

"You need to teach me how to pick locks." Beth said as she watched.

Abby grinned as the lock clicked then stood up and looked over at Beth. "Sure. When we get back."

Beth returned the grin as she pulled her knife back out of its sheath as Abby also pulled hers out and grabbed the door. Abby slowly opened the door, then peered inside. The store was quite large, with a merchandise section with a couple of turnstyle racks with clothing and shelving units displaying mugs, dog toys and various other items along with a couple of hat racks with motorcycle brands embroidered on them. The rest of the store was pack with shelving units jammed with various types of parts and at the back, the wall was lined with various types of tires.

Beth looked at Abby. "Abby, you're drooling." She said dryly then laughed as Abby shoved her to the side. "A perfect date spot for you two.

Abby chuckled as she banged on some metal then the two of them waited a couple of minutes before they finally proceeded further into the building. Beth immediately walked over to the dog toys and stuffed several dog toys into her pack. Beth 'aww'-ed at something then turned and held up a doggy bandana with skulls all over it.

"I think Daryl might tolerate me putting this on Jack!" She said happily.

Abby cocked an eyebrow. "He's hardly our dog anymore, he's practically glued to Sophia's side now. So much for dog loyalty."

Beth chuckled. "He probably figures that Sophia needs him more than us."

Abby sighed as she walked towards the jackets. "Yeah, you're probably right." Abby first looked at the men's jackets, pulled one out that was Daryl's size. "This would be good for the winter." Abby mumbled, mostly to herself.

"Ooohh." Beth said as she pulled out a jacket and held it up. "Daryl would go banana's if he saw you wearing this!"

Abby laughed as she put the jacket she'd been holding down, then took off her Kevlar vest and took the jacket from Beth. When she slid it on and zipped it up, she walked over to the tall mirror fastened to the wall and looked at her reflection.

"I used to have a jacket like this, it was my riding jacket…I miss that jacket." Abby said as she looked at her reflection. "Sold." Abby said after a moment, then slid out of the jacket and put her Kevlar vest back on.

Abby looked through a few accessories, grabbing a pair of sunglasses for herself and a bandana with a skull jaw on it, for Daryl. They then moved further into the store, Abby randomly picking parts off of the shelf that she figured she'd need then stopped when she saw a larger Kawasaki dirt bike standing next to a rack with saddle bags.

After rummaging through the collection for about five minutes, she took a set that she thought that her and Daryl would both like then rolled the bike to the front of the door. Abby poked around the register area, then grinned when she found the keys. After grabbing a gallon of oil, Abby nodded towards the door.

"Might as well go. I'll mention this place to Daryl, we'll probably come back tomorrow or the next day with a truck or bigger car." Abby said as she pulled her pack on.

"Okay." Beth agreed as she followed Abby out the front door as she squeezed the bike through the door.

Beth watched unhappily as Abby syphoned half of the gas out of the car into the dirt bikes tank. Abby climbed on the bike, smiled when the key slid into the ignition which turned into a huge grin as the bike fired up.

"We're gonna ride that now, aren't we?" Beth said uncertainly.

"Damn straight!" Abby said happily. "This is the closest thing to a motorcycle that we have right now and Daryl while probably not let me drive again after today!"

Beth sighed as she watched Abby fasten the saddle bags to the bike then divvy up what hadn't made it into their packs, into the saddle bags. Abby got on the back of the bike then smiled as she looked back at Beth and patted the seat behind her. Beth heaved another sigh then reluctantly climbed behind Abby, clutching to Abby's midsection for dear life. Abby drove out of the park lot then down the road, slowly at first, giving Beth a chance to get used to the feeling of riding on a bike, then steadily picked up speed.

It took only ten more minutes of driving to reach the street that served as the areas shopping strip. They slowly rolled down the road, looking at the shop names until they saw the name Giggle Box. Abby pulled in front of the door and the two of them climbed off of the bike and peered inside. After a moment Beth looked over at Abby, concern on her face.

"Are you sure this is okay? Maybe you can wait outside." Beth suggested.

Abby shook her head. "I'll be fine. Stop worryin' over me!"

Beth pressed her lips in a line, uncertain, but she nodded her head. Abby picked the lock, and then after she opened the door, they followed their standard procedure, before they finally started wandering around the small shop. Beth gave Abby one more glance then went further into the store and started looking around. Abby wouldn't admit it out loud but walking through this store made her immensely sad but instead of letting herself think about what could have been, Abby walked to the toddler area and started hunting for things for Judith.

After Abby had grabbed an adorable stuffed horse and a pretty sundress, she walked down the aisle that Beth was down, trying to ignore all the pictures of babies and mothers and just focused on Beth. Beth turned to her as she studied the pacifier's in her hands looking between the two, looking very confused. When she looked up, she held up the packages so Abby could see them.

"What's the difference? I just gave Judith whatever was brought to me." Beth said.

Abby kept her face neutral as she shrugged, starting to feel a little overwhelmed. "I don't know, I'm not sure if there is a difference. The only advice I can give is get a gender-neutral color."

Beth nodded as she looked Abby in the eye, then stuffed a pack of pacifier's that looked like bear heads into her bag. "Okay, I think I have enough. Maybe Glenn and I can come back here and get some of the bigger stuff."

"Yeah I'm sure he'd be happy to pick out baby stuff but they do have some of the stuff back at Alexandria." Abby said forcing a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I bet he would be." Beth said smiling brightly. "C'mon, I'm done now. Let's go."

Abby nodded and the two of them walked out the front door to the bike. Abby was about to climb on then paused and looked back at Beth. She needed a distraction, something to occupy her mind so Beth was going to be her distraction.

"You wanna drive?" Abby offered. "You asked Daryl to teach you when he was puttin' his together."

Beth's smile went from ear to ear. "Really?"

"Sure. I was 'bout your age when I first started riding." Abby said nodding and forcing another smile. "Hop on."

Beth climbed on, practically bouncing on the seat in excitement. Abby righted the bike, kicked up the kick stand then put Beth's hands on the handle bars. She showed her how to clutch, shift, accelerate and brake then gave her some advice about balancing herself and when to shift. She then showed Beth how to start the bike and when the bike was started, got Beth to slowly let the clutch out and accelerate. After five minutes of running back and forth with Beth as she slowly drove up and down the street, Abby put her hands on her hips and smiled at Beth.

"You think yer confident enough to drive us home? Otherwise I can drive." Abby suggested.

Beth thought about it then shrugged. "I'll try."

Abby sat behind Beth, then helped her get the bike going again. She managed to get it up to highway speed but after ten minutes, she pulled over to the side.

"I think I'm good for now. I'm terrified of crashing." Beth said smiling back at Abby sheepishly.

Abby smiled as she got off. "It's okay, kiddo. I learned how to drive one driving down residential streets, highways are a lot higher speeds not to mention the wildlife. You did good."

"Maybe Daryl will let me practice a little in town." Beth said hopefully.

Abby chuckled. "I'd do some serious ass kissing before you ask him that. He hardly let me drive either of his bikes."

Beth grinned. "Yeah, I kinda figured."

Abby climbed on and then so did Beth. "How about doin' a little cross-country driving?"

Beth sighed. "I guess that'll be okay."

"Just hold on tight and you'll be fine." Abby said as she kicked up the stand.

Beth wrapped her arms around Abby's waist as she put it into gear then took off. They drove down the road for a little bit longer then Abby turned down the first dirt road she came across. They had been bumping a long for twenty minutes when they suddenly emerged on the edge of a farmer's field. Abby stopped when she saw a cube van driving through the field with a man clinging to the top. When the driver suddenly braked hard, the man on the roof slid off and hit the ground.

The man immediately got to his feet then looked at the driver before taking off running. The van drove after him but the field was bumpy and the man was agile. Another man jumped out from the passenger side door and ran after the man as the van drove past the man who'd been on the roof. Abby frown, the second man looked familiar. Abby stood up for a second and pulled out her binocular's and looked towards the two as they ran back and forth in the field.

"That's Daryl!" Abby said shocked.

"Let's go!" Beth said patting Abby on the back.

Abby kicked up dirt as she burned into the field. Rick suddenly appeared as he stopped the van and was about to go after the man from the roof but was distracted by nearby walkers. Abby turned her head slightly and shouted back Beth over her shoulder.

"When I stop, you help Rick, I'll help Daryl."

Beth gave her a thumbs up as they bumped along. Abby slid to a stop and Beth launched herself off of the bike towards Rick as Abby put the kick stand down and ran towards the passenger door as Daryl was trying to pull the man from the cab of the van. Abby pulled the door open on the other side and as well as her gun out of its holster in one fluid motion and pointed the gun at the mans head.

"Hands up, ass hole." Abby growled.

The man looked back at her, startled by her sudden presence and slowly raised his hands only to be reefed from the cab by Daryl. He must have hit the shifter on the way out as the van suddenly started rolling forward. Abby dropped her gun on the seat and hurled herself inside, climbed over the center console and shoved her foot on the brake. When she looked up, she was only inches from the edge of a rather deep looking pond. Abby put the van into reverse, backed it up and put it in park then activated the e-brake just to be safe.

Abby climbed out of the van to find Daryl staring down at the man who laid on his back in the grass, poking him with his toe. When she walked over he looked up at her unhappily.

"Where you get that bike? And what the hell you doin' out here?" Daryl asked squinting through the sun glare.

Abby's face, turned deadly. "Serious? That's the first thing you have to say to me? Not hey babe, thanks for the assist that truck would've ended up in the creek without you?"

"She had a point, Daryl. Although I am curious what you two are doing here too." Rick said as he walked over, completely soaked in sweat, as was Daryl.

"I decided to go out, Beth wanted to go with me. The fact that we ran into you two is entirely coincidently." Abby said looking over at her brother, then looked down the man on the ground. "Who's this?"

"An asshole who stole that truck from us." Daryl growled. "Then we stole it back but he hitched a ride on the roof some how."

"We can't leave him here!" Beth said firmly.

Daryl looked over at her, looking exhausted. "Why not?"

"He did help you." Rick reminded him.

"Maybe." Daryl grumbled.

"Did he ever pull a gun on you?" Rick asked.

Daryl just looked down at him then bent over. "Fine. We'll put him in a tree."

"We ain't leavin' him in a tree." Abby growled. "Where's yer car?"

"We left it back where we found the truck, not far from here." Rick said indicating northwards. "Why don't you and Daryl go get the car while Beth and I watch him."

"Are you sure about that? No offense, Beth but the two of you were having one hell of a time with one man. If he wakes up, do you really think you can handle him, Rick?" Abby said skeptically.

"Besides, there's like six cars here. One of them has got to work." Daryl said, turning and walking towards the line of cars.

"Beth, do you think you can handle that rig? It's either that or drive the car that Daryl gets goin' with the…guy." Abby asked as Rick knelt down and started tying the man's hands together.

Beth looked at the van then back at Abby and shrugged. "It doesn't look any bigger than the truck on the farm, just taller. I think I can handle it."

Abby slid off her pack as she knelt down beside the man and studied his face, not really seeing any injuries from the truck but only developing bruises on his face. Abby looked over at Daryl as he was walking.

"Where'd he get hit?" She called as Rick straightened, now done tying his wrist's.

"I think the door wacked him on the back of the head." Daryl replied when he turned towards them. "Why?"

"I can bandage him up, make sure he don't have a concussion." Abby replied as she gently turned his head.

"Why?" Daryl asked again.

"Don't make me come over there and smack you!" Abby threatened.

Daryl smirked slightly then turned back to the vehicles and resumed what he was doing. Abby pulled off his hat and found a bloody goose egg on the back of his head. She opened one of the side pockets and pulled out some alcohol and gauze. She cleaned up the wound, wrapped it once then pulled his hat back on. She then pulled her flashlight out of her pants pocket and used it to check eye dilation. As far as Abby could tell with him being unconscious, he seemed fine but he'd have one heck of a headache.

By the time she was done, Daryl had fired up the engine of a white Cherokee and rolled up beside her. Both him and Rick hoisted the man into the backseat and buckled him in.

"Daryl, you sit in the back with him." Rick said as he approached the driver side door.

"Why do I have to sit with him?" Daryl complained, obviously not in the best of moods. "Why can't you? Or Abby?"

"You're just mad because I found another bike without you." Abby said dryly. "Newsflash honey, what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine."

Rick chuckled. "Good luck with that one, Daryl. You two work it out, I'm not stepping in the middle of that."

"Gee, thanks _brother_." Daryl said sarcastically.

"Hey, you don't want him to pick sides because he's more likely to side with me." Abby crossed her arm's truly starting to get annoyed with Daryl. "Yer so focused on me drivin' a damn bike, you ain't even noticed the best part."

Daryl frowned, like he expected that she'd done something bad to it or that he missed that it was pink, then raised an eyebrow as he realized what'd he'd missed.

"Saddle bags! Where'd you find those? And the bike for that matter?" Daryl asked all irritation gone and replaced with happiness.

"At this kick ass motorcycle store that I stumbled upon." Abby answered, still irritated. "I was gonna tell and thought maybe we could go together tomorrow but I ain't telling you now!"

Abby lifted her pack angrily then put it on as she marched over to the bike. "Oh, c'mon babe, don't be like that!" Daryl called after her.

Abby sat on the bike, fired it up then kicked up dirt and grass as tore off across the field to a nearby road. Abby bumped onto the paved road and watched her side mirror until she saw the cube van bump onto the road as well.

It was well past nightfall when they finally rolled up to the gate. Abby flashed her light, then watched as the gate rolled open, then slowly rolled inside. When the cube van rolled in, Abby put the kick stand down and trotted over to the driver's side window.

"Just park it in front of the pantry. We'll unload it in the morning." Abby said to Beth. When Beth nodded, Abby trotted back to the bike and drove off for home.

She tried to not goose the throttle too much, not wanting to wake anyone up and ended up idling most of the way. Abby walked up the steps to their townhouse, threw the keys onto the kitchen counter and dropped her bag and Kevlar vest onto the ground as she sunk onto the couch. She had almost dozed off when the door suddenly opened and Daryl stepped in.

"Hey." He said as he locked the door then walked over lifted her legs then sat down on the couch, putting her feet in his lap. "Still mad?"

Abby gave him a blank look. "I'm not mad but I'm not impressed, either."

"I'm sorry, I was being an ass. I was just so irritated with dealing with that punk." Daryl said shaking his head in irritation.

"Rick tell you to say that?" Abby asked dryly.

Daryl sighed. "No. It's the truth though. I mean Rick an' I found that van an' stopped at this gas station. We were tryin' to turn over this vending machine when that ass hole ran into Rick an' I, picked the keys from Rick's pocket and stole the van."

"Just like that." Abby said sitting up putting her back against the armrest and left her feet in Daryl's lap.

"Not just like that." Daryl said annoyed now as he rubbed his forehead. "He must've put a fuse on some firecrackers, talked us into letting him go, then when the firecrackers went off, we thought it was gunfire and went to check it out and he stole the van." As he talked Daryl got more and more agitated. "We ran that bastard down. Fortunately for us, he got a flat so we managed to catch up with him while he changed the tire. We tussled with him, tied him up and left him on the side of the road but that stubborn bastard managed to climbed onto the truck as we took off and rode along for quite a distance until we pulled into that field to check out the barn and heard him bumping around on the roof. You arrived shortly after that."

Abby chuckled, half because of the story and half because of how irritated Daryl was. "He really got under yer skin."

Daryl pinched her calf, making her giggle. "Don't tease me." He said smirking slightly. "So, you gonna tell me 'bout that motorcycle shop now?"

Abby swung her legs down and reached for her pack which was on the other side of Daryl. She put it between her knees and started rummaging. First, she pulled out the bandana, which was on top and handed it to him. Daryl smiled as he took it from her and tied it on to his face.

"How do I look?" He asked.

Abby chuckled. "Very badass. You'd look even better with this." Abby said then pulled out the leather jacket. "I figured it might be nice for the winter time."

Daryl stood up and shrugged out of his vest then pulled on the jacket. "Perfect fit." He said smiling.

Abby pulled out her jacket and stood up. "Yer gonna love this." She said as she put it on and zipped it up. "What'd you think?"

Daryl pulled the bandana off his face and closed the distance between the two of them. "Damn sexy." He said then leaned in for a kiss, which Abby obliged in returning.

Their layers of clothing were quickly dropped on to the floor as Daryl climbed on top of her and almost immediately started thrusting inside her with considerable vigor. After their first round, Abby rolled out from underneath Daryl, grabbed his hand then pulled him towards the bedroom, she wanted the comfort of their bed. After a couple more rounds of lovemaking, Abby draped herself across his body and sighed in contentment as Daryl started rubbing her back.

"You still haven't told me 'bout the actual shop." Daryl mumbled sleepily.

"It was mostly a parts store. I grabbed a few parts, some are still in my bag and some are in the saddle bag. It was just outside a suburb. I'll show you tomorrow." Abby replied sleepily. They were silent for a long time until a thought came to Abby. "What happened to that guy?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Had Denise look at 'em then locked him up in the area that Morgan had locked that other asshole in." Daryl barely managed to mumble.

Abby had just nodded off when frantic banging came at their door. Daryl immediately rolled out of bed, pulling on his pants and sliding his arms into his shirt as he made his way out of the bedroom to the door. Abby pulled a pair of her pants and pulled out a fresh bra and shirt as she heard the door open and heard a frantic voice.

"Babe!" Daryl called. "Hustle it up, the asshole got out!"

Abby quickly finished dressing and ran into the living room, picked her gun belt from off of the ground by the couch and ran out of the still open door. She ran down the street and found Daryl looking around the front of the townhouse that they used as their jail, then ran to catch up with him as he guided Glenn, Maggie and Abraham down a street.

Abby frowned and picked up speed as Daryl burst into Rick's house. They spread out on the main floor to make sure it was clear first but then they all rushed the stairs when then heard Carl's voice as he threatened the intruder. Abby was first up the steps, gun drawn to see the man from earlier sitting on the steps looking at a painting with Carl pointing a gun at his head. Abby did a double take when Rick and Michonne appeared half dressed. Carl looked back at them confused as he lowered the hammer of his pistol.

"It's okay, it's okay." Rick said as he awkwardly called over the rail to the others standing on the stairs behind Abby, intentionally avoiding looking at Abby. Then looked at the man. "You said we should talk. So, let's talk."

Abby lowered her gun but she continued to stare, not at the man but at Rick as he pulled on his shirt. Everyone filed back down the stairs, Abby stepping to the side to let the man and Carl go by then stared at Rick as he started down the stairs.

"Oh, shut up." He grumbled as he indicated for her to go.

Abby smirked, which only made her brother blush, which in turn made Abby laugh as she finally walked down the steps.

111

They all gathered in the dining room with Rick, Michonne, Carl and their guest taking the only chairs while everyone else stood around the table.

"I'm Jesus, by the way." The man said waving his hand in hello towards everyone else.

"So, how'd you get out?" Rick asked as Daryl circled around behind Jesus.

"One guard can't cover two exits or third floor windows." Jesus said simply, he had a point. "Knots untie, locks get picked. Entropy comes from order, right?"

"Right." Daryl responded, moving to the side so he could watch the man more carefully.

"I checked out your arsenal." Jesus continued bringing up the tension in the room considerably. "I haven't seen anything like that in a long time."

Rick turned to where Abby stood behind Carl, her hands on his shoulders. "Abigail?" Rick asked.

Abby sighed, just as annoyed. "I'll press Reg to speed up my upgrades." Abby had suggested reinforcing the armory with a much heavier door, heavier locks, removing the window and putting the guns and ammunition all in lockers but they'd been so busy with their exterior upgrades that Reg had put it low on his to do list.

"You're well equipped." Jesus said bring everyone's attention back to him. "But your provisions are low. Very low for the amount of people you have. Fifty-four?"

"More than that." Maggie replied.

"Well, I appreciate the cookie. My compliments to the chef." Jesus continued.

Daryl was studying Jesus real carefully as Abby came around the table to stand next to him. "Yeah? She ain't here."

Jesus finally turned to look at Daryl, sensing his hostility. "Look, we got off to a bad start. But we're on the same side…the living side. You and Rick had every reason to leave me there, but you didn't. I'm from a place a lot like this one. Part of my job is searching out others settlements to trade with. I took your truck because my community needs things, and both of you looked like trouble." Abby chuckled as she slapped Rick on the shoulder. She found that comment amusing, _the golden boy looked like trouble_? "I was wrong. You're good people. And this is a good place. I think our communities maybe in the position to help each other."

"Do you have food?" Glenn asked.

"We started to raise livestock." Jesus answered. "We scavenge. We grow. Everything from tomatoes to sorghum."

"Tell us why we should believe you?" Rick asked.

"I'll show you." Jesus answered simply. "If we take a car, I can take you back home in a day, and you can all see for yourselves who we are and what we have to offer."

"Wait." Maggie interrupted. "You said you were looking for _more_ settlements? You mean you're already trading with other groups?"

Jesus laughed as he sat back. "Your world is about to get a whole lot bigger."

* * *

So I hope chapter 2 lived up to the first and that it's at least as good as the past two stories! Thanks everyone for the love! Always appreciated!

-Shockra


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm a little late with this! My stupid Word program suddenly decided to not work anymore and I have been trying to fix it for the last _week_! So i am now proofreading from my phone...fun! Sorry if there is some weird stuff. My phone is weird sometimes.

* * *

Abby and Daryl left Rick's house and walked back to their townhouse in silence. Once they were safely inside, Daryl immediately turned to her.

"What'd you think? I'm not sure if we should trust him." Daryl asked as he peered out of their living room window.

Abby sighed as she sat down and started pulling the parts out of her pack. "I believe he's telling the truth but I'm not right about people one hundred percent of the time. Rick's willing to trust him."

"I have the greatest respect for Rick but he isn't exactly the best at telling the good guys from the bad. He's probably got on some Rosey colored glasses on since he tapped Michonne."

Abby made a gagging sound. "That's my brother yer talkin' about, I don't need to hear about his sex life."

Daryl smirked. "Like you didn't notice that he was pullin' up his pants and was all sweaty with an expression that looked like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

Abby threw Daryl's vest at him which had been still on the floor from the night before. "Stop it!"

Daryl smiled at her mischievously as he walked over to her. "You know the sound of flesh slapping on flesh. Them grinding against one another. Michonne moaning 'oh, Rick!'."

Abby jammed her fingers into her ears. "Lalalala." When his mouth kept moving she kicked at him, not actually trying to sack him but getting near enough to make him uncomfortable as he put hands over his balls as he turned away. Daryl laughed as he smiled at her brightly, clearly enjoying tormenting her. After a few more minutes, he grabbed her hands and pulled her fingers out of her ears. Abby eyed him suspiciously but let him remove her hands.

"I'll stop." He said still grinning then gave her a quick peck. "We should get goin', told Rick I'd check the RV over b'fore we go."

Abby nodded as Daryl picked up her pack, the assault rifle he now used and walked to the door. Abby quickly trotted into their room to grab her rifle, then headed for the door that Daryl now held open. As she approached him, he smiled at her wickedly.

"I bet they were humping all night and..." Daryl stopped talking midsentence and took off running, laughing as he ran down their front steps.

He'd taken off running because she had picked up a tennis ball that Jack liked to chew on, when he dined to see them, and ran after him. She hurled it at Daryl when she stepped through the door, hitting him square in the back of the head despite his attempting to dodge her. He smirked back at her, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable as he walked backwards slowly to let her catch up. That was when she saw Abraham grinning and Tara staring at Daryl in shock. They'd probably never seen Daryl have fun or heard him laugh before.

Abby quickly grabbed her new leather jacket before she closed the door then trotted down the stairs and up to Daryl, giving him a shove when she reached him. He gave her a sideways smirk, bumping her shoulder gently with his but with people now watching him, his playfulness was gone.

They walked to where the RV was parked, climbed inside and drove it down to Rick's house. They both stepped out of the RV once more but Abby stopped Daryl as he turned to walk toward the front of the RV.

"I'm gonna help load up the stuff. You good without me?" Abby asked.

Daryl smirked slightly. "Depends on how you mean. I always need you to be with me but I don't need you to help me check over a damn engine."

Abby shoved him, making him grin then grabbed his vest as he turned to walk away and planted a kiss on his lips before she departed. She was walking by Rick holding Judith as he was walking to the RV but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"You good?" He asked her, looking slightly worried.

Abby looked at him, confused, then realized he meant Michonne. Abby rolled her eyes. "Yer a grown man and unlike you, I don't try an' dictate yer life."

"Okay, so I may kind of deserve that." Rick said with a sigh.

"I like Michonne, she's family plus she loves your kids and they love her! She couldn't fit in any better." Abby said, patting his cheek then continued on into the house.

As Abby walked up the front steps of Rick's house, Michonne appeared with her sword over her shoulder and rifle in her hand, guiding Jesus to the RV. Abraham was coming up behind Abby so Michonne turned to him.

"Can you take him to the RV and watch him?" Michonne asked Abraham.

Abraham looked between the two women then shrugged. "Sure." He said then indicated for Jesus to continue.

When they walked off, Abby turned to Michonne and held up her hand as Michonne opened her mouth to speak. "I'm pretty sure I know what yer gonna say and I just had this conversation with Rick. I'm okay with you two."

Michonne sighed in relief. "Good. I'm glad. We didn't exactly plan it, things just…happened."

Abby chuckled as she patted Michonne on the shoulder. "Maybe you'll have a better chance at controlling him than me."

Abraham stepped down out of the RV as Maggie and Glenn walked passed her and Michonne. "Let's chew up some asphalt." He called.

Everyone who filed in, Rick and Daryl filing in last. Daryl sat in the corner of the bench, feet up on the cushions as Abby sat beside him and made his knees part so she could rest her back against his chest while Abraham sat in the other corner with Maggie and Glenn sitting across from Daryl and Abby and Jesus sat near the front seats staring through the windshield as Rick negotiated the RV through the community with Michonne riding shotgun.

After about five minutes of driving, Abraham sighed as he looked around the RV. "Next time, we might need to make this a 'no girlfriend or wife' field trip."

Abby grinned. "Jealous?"

"No just concerned with the level of focus that might be present." Abraham retorted. He didn't sound mad just concerned.

"Most of us present have been together for a long time now and we ain't dead yet. You've seen me and Daryl at our worst, did we lose focus?" Abby asked. Abby noticed her brother glance in the mirror with a concerned look but said nothing.

Abraham sighed. "No, you're right. You're all here for good reason. That was a stupid thing to say."

Abby shrugged. "It's a valid concern, there's a reason the military frowned on fraternization, it can be distracting."

"I noticed the dog tags when you pulled your gun on me in the field, you were in the military?" Jesus asked Abby.

Abby nodded as she squeezed Daryl's knee. "Yeah, I was. So was Abraham."

"Both of us have seen our share of shit long before it came to our home turf." Abraham continued.

"Did you serve together?"

"Together? No but in the same places? I'm not sure. We've never compared notes." Abraham said shrugging, then looked over at Abby. "Where did you all serve? Almost all my tours were in Afghanistan."

"Officially or unofficially?" Abby asked smirking. "Officially I was posted in Iraq but I was all over the place. Only my first couple tours were relatively close to where I was posted."

"What does that mean?" Jesus asked, looking confused.

"It means she did a lot of off the books type of stuff that the public probably wouldn't approve of or could cause problems with our allies." Abraham said shrugging.

"Like what?" Jesus asked intrigued.

"Well I've been in China, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the list goes on, usually to assassinate dangerous people. Sometimes to pick up a defector from hostile territory." Abby said.

Michonne suddenly turned in her seat. "You assassinated people?"

Abby looked at her confused. "After what I did to the Governor, why does that surprise you?"

"I guess when they say, 'don't judge a book by it's cover', they mean you." Jesus said, his eyes unreadable as he stared at Abby. "I figured you must be tough but I would have never guessed."

Abraham laughed. "She's unassuming, and I imagine that's what the Marine Corp was thinking when they sent her in. The enemy would never guess that the pretty little American barbie doll could possibly do whatever it is she did, not to mention you kick ass female snipers are almost unheard of."

"Call me a barbie doll one more time and I'll cut yer tongue and shove it up yer asshole." Abby growled.

Daryl snickered as Abraham laughed harder. "I like you better this way. All mean and violent." Abraham said as he laughed. "So long as it's on my side. So, what was your record anyways? I'm curious with how you ranked among the boys."

Rick sighed. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Why don't you? I thought you were proud of yer baby sister?" Abraham retorted smiling.

"I don't need to know how many people she killed before any of this all happened and I already know she's a hell of a shot. I'm happy with leaving it at that." Rick replied, slightly annoyed.

"He didn't know that I worked outside my posting until now, that's technically classified shit." Abby said.

"Her longest shot was over two thousand yards, she had eighty-seven kills and a ninety-six percent accuracy." Daryl said proudly.

Abby pinched the arm that was wrapped around her waist, to which he pinched her back in the side. Jesus looked at her, confused, while Abraham and Maggie looked impressed and Glenn just shook his head.

"Did you ask her that? Or did she volunteer that information?" Glenn asked with a chuckle.

"Had to get her wasted first, then she answered." Daryl said with a shrug.

Abby twisted to look back at him. "That's why I don't remember tellin' you."

"The last time I remember you getting drunk, Daryl, was back at the CDC and Abby didn't drink that night." Rick said frowning.

"How would you even remember?" Glenn asked Rick, jokingly.

"How would you?" Daryl retorted. "I remember you moaning in agony the next mornin' and you didn't even drink that much. T-Dog and I were the only ones who held our liquor well."

"Both of you were luck I wasn't in a good place, I woulda tormented you two so much!" Abby said grinning.

"But then you'd been drunk too I'm sure." Glenn said glancing over a Maggie guiltily.

Abby laughed. "Are you kidding me? I used to drink like a pirate! Something I learned long _before_ the Corps." Rick grunted as he shook his head as Abby looked over at Jesus. "You know, when you said Rick looked like trouble, it amused me to no end. Back when we were kids, I'd always call Rick the 'Golden boy' 'cause he could do no wrong. Got great marks, everybody loved him, got elected Sheriff at an early age, the list goes on. But me, I was the hellion. Drank, smoked, messed around, drove a motorcycle, the all around black sheep."

Abraham studied her a moment. "Yeah, I can see that."

"But I guess the outbreak changed everything. Now I'm more sensible and he's more impulsive." Abby said with a shrug.

"I'm not impulsive." Rick grumbled.

They fell into complete silence for many hours after that. Maggie had curled up and drifted off to sleep while Jesus just stared out the windshield as Rick and Michonne held hands. Glenn stared at Maggie while she slept with his hand on her stomach while Abraham watched the two of them. Daryl actively kept his face turned away from them, watching the scenery roll by out of the window while Abby tried to not stare but watching Glenn and Maggie brought some sad feeling and some resentment. She loved both of them to pieces and was very happy for them but part of her resented them for getting what she lost. Abby sighed quietly as she too looked out of the window, pressing her head against Daryl's chin.

Abraham suddenly scooted forward in his seat, leaning towards Glenn then indicated for him to get closer. She could hear him whispering quietly, Abby pretended to continue to watch out of the window but she watched them out of the corner of her eye. At first Glenn looked confused, then realization dawned and he whispered back equally quietly. Glenn glanced at her guiltily several times as the conversation continued, making Abby realize it was about his and Maggie's baby. Abby was about to scold them for whispering but stopped when Rick suddenly stepped on the brakes. Daryl raised his hand and pushed the blinds down further so he could better see out of the window.

"Yo, Rick. What's going on?" Daryl asked.

"We got a crash ahead." Rick replied as he continued to slow down and turn around the corner. "Looks like it just happened."

Everyone sat up and watched through the front window as Rick rolled to a stop beside a vehicle that had flipped onto its side. From what Abby could tell, it looked like the driver must have come across a herd of walkers in the middle of the road and swerved to avoid them but ended up rolling over and landing in the ditch.

"It's one of ours!" Jesus exclaimed as he quickly exited the RV before Rick had completely come to a stop.

Rick put the RV in park, and quickly popped up, looking unimpressed as he followed Jesus out and over to the flipped over vehicle. Everyone else exited as well, as Rick came up to Jesus and raised his gun.

"If this is a trick." Rick warned. "It won't end well for you."

Jesus look slightly alarmed first but his concern for his people won out as he looked around him. "My people are in trouble. They don't…we don't have a lot of fighters. I know how it looks but I'll play it out. Can I borrow a gun?"

"No." Rick replied instantly.

Daryl suddenly looked up from where he'd been inspecting the ground. "We got tracks right here."

Daryl indicated for everyone to follow him as he walked off, pistol drawn. Abby stuck close to his six as he went, her rifle strapped across her back and her pistol in hand. They came to a building that had glass double doors but were frosted, making it almost impossible to see inside. Rick came up to the door as Daryl step backed and banged on it.

"They have to be in there!" Jesus said worriedly when nothing happened.

"We moving in or what?" Daryl asked, starting to get annoyed. "How do we know this ain't firecrackers in a trash can?"

"You don't." Jesus said becoming equally annoyed.

"We'll get your people." Rick said as he inspected Jesus. "You're stay here with one of us."

Jesus looked behind him at Michonne, looking for support. "That's the deal." She said too him.

Glenn looked over at Maggie. "Will you stay?"

Maggie nodded her head. "Yeah. Ya'll go, just be careful."

"I'll stay back too." Abby replied. Everyone looked at her in shock but she just shrugged. "If we do run into trouble, two is better than one and I think you can handle a couple walkers. And if there's trouble in there, they won't know what hit them, when I get in there."

Rick nodded his head. "Alright." He said as he put cuffs on Jesus.

"Just here." Jesus said sounding stressed.

Rick looked back at the two women. "If you hear me whistle, shoot him."

"I will." Maggie said confidently as she raised her gun.

"I don't think you have to worry 'bout that." Abby replied smirking.

Everyone else moved for the door and moved inside, Jesus trying to see inside as the door slowly closed behind them. Abby patted his shoulder, staying out of Maggie's line of sight.

"If you're tellin' the truth, yer friends are in good hands." Abby said trying to sound comforting. "I'm the only psycho here."

Maggie gave her an unhappy stare then resumed watching Jesus as Abby holstered her pistol and slid her rifle off of her back and peered down the scope and surveyed the surroundings. Abby kept a weathered eye on the horizon, confident that Maggie would keep her gun on Jesus, until finally their friends emerged with four people. Jesus sighed in relief as he saw them come out.

Out of the four, amazingly only one of them was actually hurt, probably was the one who'd been driving, judging from the injury to his knee. Daryl helped Abraham carry the injured man while Rick led them all back to RV. Once again, Rick and Michonne sat in the front two seats as the man who was apparently a doctor, knelt down in front of the injured man and tended to his knee, as the other two took a seat on the benches. Abraham resumed his corner while Abby and Daryl stayed on their feet, with Daryl leaning against the counter and Abby leaning against him.

They drove for almost half an hour, in near complete silence. Once the doctor had tended to the injured man, he moved to the back of the RV, followed by both Glenn and Maggie. Jesus studied his friends carefully the whole way and after a while he finally spoke up.

"Are you okay, Freddie?" Jesus asked, looking at the man worriedly.

"For a second back there, just when I thought I was gonna…I saw my wife. She died before all of this." Freddie said becoming emotional. "Just when I thought it was all over, there she was." Freddie laughed, slightly hysterical. "Clear as day."

Daryl suddenly put his hand out to steady himself, holding tightly to Abby's waist, as the RV suddenly lurched to a stop. Abby could hear the tire spinning in the mud as Rick goosed the gas. Abby straightened up as she heard her brother curse.

"If anyone's pushin' this rig, it'll be you Rick." Abby said dryly.

"No worries. We're here." Jesus said as he got up and exited the RV.

Everyone got up and followed him out of the RV. Jesus stopped after only of couple yards and smiled as everyone sloshed through the mud to stand behind him. In front of them, a twelve foot tall wall made out of timber logs that reached towards the forest on both sides.

"That's us." Jesus said indicating the wall.

Everyone followed as Jesus continued following the mud road, with guns in their hands, no longer willing to just trust that everything would be okay after what had happened in Terminus. The hair on the back of Abby's neck stood up, they were definitely being watched and her training told her to raise her huge rifle and point it at the wall but these people were supposed to be potential allies and that wouldn't make the best of first impressions.

"Stop right there!" A man called from the other side of the wall.

Everyone in their group immediately raised their guns, Abby quickly finding the top of a head that probably thought it was safe. Jesus spun around and held his hands out in a peaceable gesture.

"Whoa." Jesus said at the same time that Daryl growled. "You gonna make us?"

"Jesus, what the hell is this?" The man called.

Abby sneered when she realized that the only weapons the men on the wall had, were spears.

"Open the gates, Cal!" Jesus said tiredly. "Freddie's hurt." Jesus turned back to look at the group. "Look, sorry about these guys. They get antsy standing up there all day, doing nothing."

"They give up the weapons, then we'll open the gate." Cal called over the wall.

"Why don't you come down here and get 'em?" Daryl asked.

Abby sneered, about to make her own retort when the doctor put a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward. "Gentlemen, look, we vouch for all these people, alright? They saved us out there."

"Lower your spears." Jesus ordered.

"Look, I'm not taking any chances." Rick said lowering his weapon but still tense. "Tell your guy Gregory, to come out here."

"No." Jesus said turning to face Rick again. "Don't you see what just happened? I'm letting you keep your guns. Look, we ran out of guns months ago. I like your people. I trust you. Trust us."

Rick glanced over at Abby who nodded then turned back to Jesus and studied him a moment while he thought. Finally, he indicated for the rest of them to lower their weapons as Jesus turned back to the gate.

"Open the gates, Cal."

Finally, the gates swung open to reveal a huge pre-civil war era house, along with several older out building closer to the wall and much newer FEMA trailers closer to the house, on the other side of the grounds. They had a couple of cows and some hens, which made Abby dream of eggs and real milk. They also had a small garden and what looked like a forge to build their own weapons.

"There was a materials yard for a power company nearby." Jesus said as he walked backwards towards the house speaking to their group as they gawked at the grounds around them. "That's how we put up the wall. A lot of people came from a FEMA camp. Trailers came with them."

"How did people find out about this place?" Michonne asked.

Jesus indicated the house in front of them. "That's called the Barrington House. The family that owned it, gave it to the state in the thirties. The state turned it into a living history museum. Every elementary school for fifty miles, used to come here for field trips. This place was running long before the modern world built up around it. I think people came here because they figured it'd keep running after the modern world broke down." Jesus raised his hand and pointed to the top windows. "Those windows up there let us see for miles in every direction. It's perfect for security. Come on. Let's go inside."

They all looked at each other then followed after Jesus as he walked up the steps, then inside the building. He held the door open as they all filed inside to the grand foyer, its wall lined with old paints of former residents and candle sconces and antique furniture.

"Good gracious, ignatius." Abraham muttered as he looked up.

"Most of the rooms have been converted to living spaces." Jesus said as they all gawked at the space around them. "Even the one that weren't bedrooms."

"People live here and the trailers?" Rick enquired as he continued to look around.

"We plan to build, there's babies being born." Jesus said simply.

Abby looked over at Daryl as he looked around, he seemed actually impressed, probably never having seen a historical house like this. When he saw her studying him, he smirked slightly and shrugged his shoulders like he thought it was no big deal. The door behind Daryl and Abby suddenly opened, and they quickly stepped to the side as an older man stepped out.

"Jesus. You're back." He said as he came out of the room he'd been in, then looked around the room. "With guests."

"Everyone, this is Gregory. He keeps trains running on time around here."

"I'm the boss." Gregory said spreading his hands grandly.

Abby looked him up and down, immediately not liking him, getting a distinct 'creep' vibe from him. Abby looked at the others in the room, Maggie and Abraham looked at him doubtfully as Daryl put a hand on her waist, working hard to keep the hostility from his face.

Rick looked down as he forced a smile on his face. "Well, I'm Rick. We have a community…" Rick started.

"Why don't y'all get cleaned up, hmm?" Gregory interrupted indicating the upstairs.

Michonne squinted at him like he was crazy. "We're fine." Rick said now irritated and trying not to show it.

"Jesus will show you where you can get washed up." Gregory continued like he hadn't heard Rick. "Then you come down here when you're ready." He walked up to Rick and said. "It's hard to keep this place clean." Right to his face.

"Yeah. Sure." Rick replied keeping his temper in check.

Jesus looked just as annoyed as the rest of them but indicated the stairs. "Follow me." Then walked up them.

Daryl and Abby were the last ones up the stairs and followed everyone down the hall. Jesus showed them a room they could all wait in while the others got 'cleaned up'. Eventually Daryl got bored and disappeared downstairs once more, as Abraham followed. Abby walked over to the window and looked outside then watched as the people of Hilltop moved around. When Rick stepped up beside her, he stood there for several minutes in silence before eventually he speaking up.

"What do you think of this place?" Rick finally asked her.

Abby turned to face her brother then shrugged. "Jesus seems alright but that Gregory is nothing but an asshole. Haven't really interacted with the rest of the town to know with any great certainty but from watchin' them, they almost seem as naïve as Alexandria in some ways but they got some resources…livestock, that would be nice to have."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I got that too. The biggest hurdle is dealing with Gregory, that's why I'm hopin' Maggie can deal with him. I just don't have the patience for people like him."

Abby snorted. "No shit."

Rick raised his hand and flicked her nose, making her laugh as she stepped back. Jesus stepped into the room and smiled as he saw Rick and Abby playfully shoving at each other then cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Maggie requested that we all talk downstairs, she's done with Gregory now." Jesus said then indicated that they leave.

They all followed him down the stairs, Daryl and Abraham having rejoined them as Abby had stared off out the window. When they came down the stairs, Maggie paced the floor looking annoyed.

"How'd it go?" Rick asked.

Maggie sighed as she turned to face him. "He doesn't think we have anything to offer him. I offered him medicine and ammunition but he wouldn't bite."

"We want to generate trade. Gregory does." Jesus said sincerely. "But ammo isn't something we urgently need."

"I beg to differ." Abby mumbled and Rick agreed.

"How's that?" Rick asked

"The wall's hold." Jesus answered simply. "We just brought in more medicine. Gregory wants the best deal possible."

"Yeah well we want things too." Daryl said sounding annoyed.

"We need food." Rick said. "We came all this way, we're gonna get it."

Jesus looked Rick straight in the eye. "I will talk to him and we will work this out. Circumstances change. We're doing well now, and you will next. I will make him see that. Can you give me a few days?"

Rick was silent while he thought and Abby really didn't know what he was going to answer but instead it was Michonne who answered for him.

"We can."

Rick looked over at Michonne, thought about it for a second longer then finally answered. "Yeah."

Jesus grunted as he turned to the side, looking thoughtful but then a man burst through the door just as Gregory emerged from his office.

"What's wrong?" Gregory asked.

"They're back." The man answered.

First Gregory, then Jesus followed the man outside followed by Rick and the rest of them as they all headed outside and walked towards the gate. As they walked, three new people walked straight towards them and something in their demeanor instantly sent off alarms in Abby's head. The two in the back, looked scared and defeated while the big man at the front also looked terrified but determined.

"Nathan, what happened to everyone else?" Gregory asked as he approached them. "Where's Tim and Marsha?"

"They're dead." The big man who'd been identified as Nathan answered.

"Negan?" Gregory asked, making everyone in their group frown, remembering the story of Daryl's encounter as well as the people that him, Abraham and Sasha had blown up with an RPG.

"Yeah." Nathan replied.

Abby touched Daryl's elbow and he looked at her as Gregory continued. "But we had a deal."

Abby stood up on her tippy toes. "I don't like this." She whispered. "Something isn't right."

Daryl studied her as the conversation continued in front of him. He finally looked back at Gregory as Nathan approached Gregory. The man put his hand on Gregory's shoulder and said "I'm sorry" before plunging a blade into Gregory's abdomen. Rick and Michonne rushed the man as Maggie and Jesus caught Gregory's arms as he staggered backwards but was saved from falling by Glenn holding him up. Abby grabbed her pistol and held it up but even though the man had shaken off Michonne, he was presently being pounded on by Rick. The second man tried to pull Rick off of Nathan but Abraham almost immediately tackled him as Rick continued to pound on Nathan.

Rick was momentarily distracted by Abraham getting pinned on the ground being choked out but as Abby started to move to help Abraham, Daryl grabbed the man's arm broke it over his knee then shoved the man to the side. Unfortunately, Rick being distracted lost him the upper hand as he was flipped onto his back. Glenn shouted as did Michonne, distracting Nathan from Abby as he looked at them as he held a knife to Rick's neck. He looked over at Abby just in time to get a knee to the nose, sending him reeling off of Rick onto the ground. Abby instantly jumped onto the man's chest, putting her whole weight on her knee as she pressed her knee into his sternum with her foot on the hand with the knife and pressing her forearm against his windpipe.

Rick stood up and walked over to where Abby had Nathan pinned to the ground, pulled out his pistol while pulling Abby off of the man at the same time, then shot him in the head. The people of Hilltop looked on at them in shock, even Abby was a little shocked by what he'd just done but she just stood up and wiped the blood that had splattered on her face, away.

"What?" Rick asked spreading his hands.

"Ethan. You killed him!" The man who'd attacked Abraham groaned as he held his broken hand with Daryl holding a gun on him.

"He tried to kill Gregory, then tried to kill me!" Rick said annoyed.

Abby agreed that it was completely unnecessary to kill the man, she had him under control but that'd be a private conversation, these people didn't need to see them divided. Daryl had been right when he'd told her to stop questioning Rick in front of the others, it was both disruptive and discouraging to the others. Abby had been glaring down at the man on the ground when she heard what sounded like someone being punched and turned to see Michonne putting the woman who'd accompany the two men, on her back.

"Don't!" Michonne warned the woman.

A man strode towards Michonne with a spear raised and Abby immediately pulled her pistol and aimed it at the man. "Drop it now!" He warned them as Michonne reached back and touched her sword.

Rick stepped up beside Abby and raised his pistol once more. "I don't think I will!"

Jesus suddenly ran and stepped in between Rick and Abby and the man with the spear with his hands held up. "Everyone, this is over. It's over!" He said firmly. "Ethan was our friend, but let's not pretend he was anything more than a coward who attacked us. He did this. And these people stopped him."

Everyone was silent a moment and Abby watched Rick from the corner of her eye, waiting to take the queue from him. "What do I do?" Rick finally asked Jesus.

"Put your guns away, both of you." Jesus said looking between Rick and Abby. "You've done enough." Rick finally lowered his gun, gently putting the hammer back down as did Abby. "You need to know that things aren't as simple as they might seem. Just give me some time." Rick nodded then Jesus turned and went over to where Gregory lay on the ground with his head in the lap of Maggie as the doctor knelt down beside him.

Abby looked over to where Abraham still lay on the ground, not having moved an inch since Daryl had tackled the man off of him. Abby walked over to him and squatted down beside him, as Abraham stared up at the sky, with an ever so slight of a smile on his face.

"You okay?" Abby asked as she rested her elbow on her knee then chin on her hand.

"Never better, Gunney." Abraham replied then chuckled to himself.

Daryl stepped up beside him and held out his hand out to him and helped Abraham to his feet. Together they followed as Jesus and Dr. Carson helped Gregory into the house. They all went into Gregory's office and waited for Jesus to come talk to them. As they waited, Abby browsed the bookcases while everyone else sat down or leaned against a wall or object.

"Dr. Carson was able to patch Gregory up." Jesus said as he finally entered the room, stopping in front of the fireplace. "He's in pain but he'll live."

"So what happens now?" Glenn asked as Abby walked over to Daryl and grabbed his hand as she leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Things like that don't usually happen here." Jesus said wincing. "But, uh, it's settled."

"We heard the name Negan." Rick said as he straightening up. "A while back, Daryl and Abraham had a run-in with his men. Who is he?" Rick asked as he stepped towards Jesus.

"Negan is the head of a group of people he calls the Saviors." Jesus replied.

Abby shook her head. "Don't trust them already. Anybody who calls themselves the _Saviors_ , are a group of assholes with a god complex."

Jesus smirked slightly. "That'd aptly describe the people I've encountered so far. As soon as the walls were built, the Saviors showed up. They met with Gregory on behalf of their boss. They made a lot of demands and even more threats. And he killed on of us…Rory. He was sixteen years old. They beat him to death right in front of us. Said we need to understand right off the bat. Gregory's not exactly good at confrontation. He's not the leader I would've chosen, but he helped make this the place it is and the people like him."

"He made a deal." Maggie stated simply.

"Half of everything." Jesus said. "Our supplies, our crops, our livestock, it goes to the Saviors."

"And what do you get in return?" Abraham asked.

"They don't attack this place. They don't kill us."

"Then why don't you just kill them?" Daryl asked.

"Most of the people here don't even know how to fight, even if we had ammo." Jesus said tiredly. Abby agreed, these people were nothing more than a bunch of farmers and homemakers.

"Well, how many people does Negan have?" Rick asked.

"We don't know." Jesus answered. "We've seen groups as big as twenty."

"Now, hold up." Daryl said sounding a little annoyed. "So, they show up, they killed a kid, and you give them half of everything? These dicks just got a good story. The bogeyman, he ain't shit."

"Well, how would you know?"

"A month ago, we took his guys out PDQ." Abraham said proudly. "Left them in pieces and puddles."

"You know, we'll do it." Daryl said making Abby frown. "If we go get your man back, kill Negan, take out his boys, will you hook us up? We want food, medicine and of them cows."

"Confrontation's never been something we've had trouble with." Rick said confidently, agreeing with Daryl.

Jesus looked at all of them uncertainly. "I'll take it to Gregory." Jesus finally said tiredly then turned and left the room.

When Jesus finally left the room, Abby finally spoke up. "Are you two sure about this? We have no idea what we're getting into. They've _seen_ up to twenty people which tells me there's probably at least thirty or forty of them. We don't know about their resources, their capabilities. We should do a considerable amount of recon before we even start to make plans on attacking these people."

"We don't have that much time, babe. We need those supplies." Daryl said, his mind apparently made up.

"Abby has a point. I mean those supplies will mean nothing if we're dead." Glenn said, nodding his head in agreement.

"They have food, we don't. We don't have enough of anything." Rick said. "Except us. This is the trade."

"It's gonna cost us something." Maggie said.

The door opened again and in stepped Jesus once more. "Gregory's up. He wants to talk." Rick started for the door but Jesus held up his hand. "To Maggie. He wants to talk to Maggie."

Glenn looked over at Maggie. "You got this."

Maggie didn't look happy but she moved forward, only to be stopped by Rick. "Deanna was right about you." He said to her as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to apologize in advance. Gregory can be a real prick." Jesus said as Maggie walked towards him then beside him as they both walked out of the room.

Abby sighed. "I'm gonna go for a walk." Abby said, straightening up.

"You want company?" Daryl asked, looking like he was going to follow her.

Abby shrugged. "I'm a big girl, I'm pretty sure I won't get lost and they'd be stupid to mess with me but if want to just keep me company, I'm always good with that."

Daryl smirked and followed her out of the room then outside. Abby grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the FEMA trailers.

"I heard the doc say he was located in the trailers, I thought maybe I should go see him because of…the accident."

Daryl tightened his grip on her hand and nodded his head in acknowledgement. They walked the rest of the way in silence until they came to a trailer with a sign that said Medical Attention above the door. Abby knocked on the door and stepped inside when she heard the doctor invite them in.

"Hey doc." Abby said.

The doctor smiled. "Not exactly the brunette I was expecting but I'm happy to see you anyways. We didn't get to meet properly. I'm Doctor Carson, you're Abby and you're Daryl, right?" He said offering her his hand and shaking it, then Daryl's.

"Yeah that's right. Daryl here is my husband." Abby said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. She still didn't like opening up to strangers about her personal tragedies. "I have a different reason for coming here then Maggie. About two months ago, I…I miscarried."

Carson frowned. "I'm so sorry."

"The only reason that happened was because I was hit by a car…" Abby took a deep breath as her emotions started to well up and Daryl gently rubbing her back wasn't helping her keep it under control.

"Now you're worried there might've been some permanent damage." Carson suggest to which Abby could only nod her head. Carson patted the exam table beside him. "Come, sit back. I have an ultrasound machine, I can take a look."

Abby obediently sat on the exam table while Daryl kept close beside her, keeping silent and despite his neutral expression, Abby could tell that Daryl was worried. The thought that there might be something wrong with her internal workings, had apparently never crossed his mind.

"Have you two had intercourse since?" Carson asked as he slightly moved Abby's shirt up then reached for the machine and turned it on.

"Yeah, but it all seems the same as before."

"How far along were you?"

Abby bit her lip and looked away as she tried to compose herself again, so Daryl answered for her. "We weren't one hundred percent sure but we figured about eight to ten weeks."

"Once again, I'm sorry. Losing a child is hard enough but adding more trauma on top if it? You're lucky to even be alive." Carson said as he shook his head.

"If it wasn't for our friends, she probably wouldn't be. We didn't have a doctor but we had a friend who was an army medic and a friend who just picked a lot of stuff up." Daryl said sadly also shaking his head.

"Alright, this is going to be a little cold." Carson said, then squeezed some jelly onto her stomach.

He started moving the apparatus around the bottom part of her stomach, fiddled around with the settings then squinted at the monitor. "You can definitely tell there was some trauma but it looks like everything has healed up nicely. If you so choose to try and have another, I don't see why you'd have any troubles."

Daryl let out a sigh of relief, which made Carson smile a little. Carson wiped the jelly off of Abby's stomach, then helped her sit up.

"Thanks, doc." Abby said as she finished wiping the moisture from her eyes. "We should be getting back."

Carson touched Abby's shoulder as she slid off of the exam table. "Can I give you a bit of advice?" Abby nodded. "Losing a child is one life biggest hurts, trust me I know. But having a child is also one of life's greatest joys. I know it must be a scary thought right now with the dead rising, especially after what happened but don't give up. That being said, I'd wait a couple more months so your body can completely heal. Child labor is hard even on a healthy body so try to get yourself healthy first."

Abby nodded her head. "I will, doc."

Daryl opened the door and held it open for her so she could exit, then followed her out. They were halfway back to the house when he finally spoke up.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly. "You were starting to get upset."

Abby sighed as she stopped. "It's probably going to take me years to not cry when mentioning…that but I'm fine. That's the most controlled reaction I've had."

"What made you think there might be something wrong?"

Abby shrugged. "Nothing specific, just figured since I got hit by a car something coulda happen. That doctor from Atlanta seemed genuinely concerned that I might have internal damage."

The front door of the house opened and out stepped Abraham. "Stop yer canoodling and get in here, Maggie's done with Gregory." He said as he waved for them to follow.

"We weren't even close to kissin'." Daryl grumbled as he turned.

Abby chuckled "But I'm sure that's the assumption of what we were doing. Don't tell 'em where we went okay? They'll just get all awkward around me again."

"It's none of their business what we were doin'. Coulda been humping for all they know."

Abby snickered as she swatted him. "Even they wouldn't think we are that reckless."

Daryl turned and smiled at her as he walked backwards into the house. "Aren't we?"

Abby swatted him again, as he turned around and jogged the last couple of steps to the door, then casually stepped inside.

"Now that we're all here, go ahead Maggie." Rick said.

"We've made a deal. We get half of everything they have in return for taking out the Savior's and rescuing their man, up front. Jesus is getting everything organized but, in the meantime, we gotta get that RV unstuck and inside these walls."

"Saw a tractor out back, it should be able to get 'er out." Abby suggested.

"Yeah, that'll work." Rick said nodding. "Maggie, Glenn, go talk to Doctor Carson, make sure everything is ok. Everyone else, we're getting that RV out. Abigail, think you can still drive a tractor…without driving me over?"

Abby rolled he r eyes. "One, I was twelve and two, that was totally your fault."

"You we're driving a tractor when you were twelve?" Glenn asked in disbelief.

Maggie smiled as Abby laughed. "Do you know how hard it is for a kid to toss a bail? Next to impossible. At first my dad would load up a bunch of bales into the back of the truck the night before and then either Rick or I would drive out to the cow pasture and pitch fork mounds of hay on to the ground for the cows. Then our father splurged on a big old John Deere to move big bales. By then, Rick here, was too busy with all his sports and hanging out with his buddies that I had to do it all on my own."

Rick shook his head. "She's exaggerating, I did plenty of…we're gettin' off topic here. Let's get to work."

Everyone grinned as they all made for the door, Michonne bumping her shoulders into Rick's as they walked. As everyone but Glenn and Maggie walked to the RV, Abby went and asked Jesus if it was okay to use the tractor. When she was given the okay, along with the keys, she climbed up onto the tractor, fired it up then rumbled down to the gate over to where Rick, Daryl and Abraham were down on their hands and knees, looking for good place to attach a chain so she could pull it out. Eventually Daryl disappeared inside while Abraham went behind the RV and Rick trotted towards her.

"Go behind it, it's got a tow hitch in the back. Looks like the only thing we can attach a chain to that we can reach." Rick shouted over the rumble of the tractors engine.

Abby gave a thumbs up, then rolled into the field and around to the back of the RV and stopped behind it with the scoop facing the RV. Daryl came out with a chain then handed it to Abraham, who lay on the ground, in the mud. Once they'd attached the chain to the RV, they ran it to her scoop then Daryl and Abraham got out of the way while Rick stood in the front to give Michonne, who sat behind the wheel, hand signals.

Daryl indicated for her to back up, as Michonne stepped on the gas, spitting up mud in Rick's direction but within minutes, Abby had the RV pulled out of the mud. Once they'd unhooked the RV, Michonne steered around the massive mud puddle and managed to make it the rest of the way without any problems. The guys all hitched a ride on the tractor back to the Hilltop and jumped off and walked over to where a pile of supplies that had started to grow, then started loading them into the RV.

* * *

Well, that was fun. Hopefully my program will be up and going again by tomorrow and I won't have to edit on my phone again!

-Shockra


	4. Chapter 4

Good day everyone! I hope your day has gone well! I have feeling that this chapter may make your day! Or at least if you're a fan of a certain character. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

They rumbled down the road in silence, the RV now loaded with supplies and an extra person. Rick decided to bring him with them, one of the Hilltop's residents, Andy, who knew the location of the Saviors home. He was the one who'd gotten his hand broken by Daryl, but the man didn't seem to hold it against them. Nor did he seem to hold it against them that they had killed his friend, he seemed more concerned with getting his buddy back.

Eventually Glenn pulled out a picture out of his pocket, as they drove, and stared at it with a soft smile on his face. When Michonne looked over his shoulder, he handed the picture over to her. Michonne smiled as she looked at it but Abby could see a sadness creep into her expression. With a quiet sigh, she looked up at Abby then Daryl then back down at the picture.

Abby sighed in irritation, she knew what Michonne was looking at and pulled it from her hands. Glenn and Maggie looked at Abby in shock and studied her carefully as she looked at the ultrasound. She wouldn't say it out loud but it did bother her slightly but mostly, she was just happy as she smiled at the picture. It was Daryl, who was sitting directly behind her, who looked away and stared out the window until Abby passed the photo over to Abraham.

"Don't be all weird about this with me." Abby said indicating the picture in Abraham's hand. "I am happy for you two, thrilled. You don't have to whisper about your baby stuff when I'm around."

Maggie smiled at her sadly. "Thank you. I know how tough things have been for you, for _both_ of you. We don't want to upset either of you or make things harder."

Daryl looked at Maggie. "Don't worry 'bout us, we're fine."

They drove the rest of the way to Alexandria in silence until they rolled into Alexandria and were greeted by Sasha and Aaron. After a brief conversation through the window, Michonne disembarked before Rick drove the rest of the way to the pantry. It didn't take them long to unpack their supplies, then Rick gave them forty-five minutes to clean up before they would meet back at the church to break the news to the others. When the door to their townhouse, closed, Daryl let out a big sigh and collapsed onto the couch.

"You okay, babe?" Abby asked she knelt down beside the couch and placed her forearms and head on the arm of the couch.

"Just exhausted. Gonna take a power nap, I'm sure you wanna clean up." Daryl said as he threw his arm over his eyes.

"Are you sure a power nap is how you wanna spend then next forty-five minutes?" Abby asked.

Daryl smiled but kept his arm over his eyes. "We'll hump later."

Abby slapped his foot as she stood up. "Whatever. Are sure you feelin' well?" She asked jokingly.

"Gettin' old I guess."

"Hey! None of this gettin' old stuff! We're still plenty young!" She said pinching his arm as she walked by.

Forty-five minutes later, Abby and Daryl sat side by side in a pew, Daryl with his arm wrapped around Abby's shoulders as she leaned into him, while Rick laid things out for those of the community members who'd come to hear him out. Finally, Rick end with, "This is a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your peace."

At first the room was so quiet you could hear a kitten's whisker drop but then a pew in the back squeaked and everyone turned to see Morgan standing up.

"You're sure we can do it?" Morgan asked. "Can we beat them?"

"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us…yes I'm sure." Rick said confidently.

"Then all we have to do is just tell them that." Morgan stated, eliciting a scoff from Abby as she shook her head.

"From my extensive experience, people like that don't talk." Abby said tiredly.

"This is different." Morgan protested.

Abby shook her head. "About as different as a cat is to a feline."

"I'm just saying that we give them a choice." Morgan said frowning. "It's a way out, for them and for us."

"We try and talk to the Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety. No, we have to come for them before they come for us." Rick said emphatically. "We can't let them live."

"Where there's life, there's possibility." Morgan argued.

"Of them hitting us." Rick countered.

"We're not trapped in this." Morgan continued. " _None_ of you are trapped in this."

Everybody looked around uncomfortably. Rick finally continued talking. "Morgan…they always come back."

"Come back when they're dead too."

Abby sighed as she stood up. "Trust me Morgan, no one knows what you mean more than I but somethings just have to be done. I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled 'bout this when Rick and Daryl hatched this but from both a strategic and survival perspective, it makes sense. And if you're worried 'bout our souls, then how'd you think we'd feel if we do what you say and this place gets destroyed? If the Hilltop gets destroyed? If those places fall, then Judith dies, Maggie's baby will die, all the other children in both communities, will die. That will be worse for my soul than the death of a couple assholes."

"You don't know that would happen."

"And you don't know that it won't."

Rick held his hand up to silence them, then looked around the room. "Morgan wants to talk to them first, I think that's a mistake but it's not up to me. I'll talk to the people who are still at home, I'll talk to the people on guard duty but who else wants to talk to them first?" Rick finally asked.

Aaron was instantly on his feet. "What happened here, we won't let that happen again. I won't." Aaron said then nodded at Rick before he sat down.

Rick gave them a moment to speak up but when no one did, he continued. "It's settled then. We know exactly what this is, we won't shy away from it and we'll live. We're gonna kill them all. We don't have to all kill, but if we're going to live here…you're gonna have to live with it."

Rick left the building then leaving everyone to talk amongst themselves. When Abby and Daryl walked down the aisle, intending on following after Rick, Morgan grabbed her hand.

"You can't honestly be on board with this!?" Morgan asked unhappily.

Abby looked at Daryl who glared unhappily at Morgan's hand holding hers. "Go on ahead, babe. I'll meet you at Rick's house."

Daryl's frown deepened but he nodded his head then left the building. Abby pushed Morgan further down the pew then sat down beside him.

"Look, I get it. You're trying to save us from ourselves, from becoming monsters but we're doing this for the right reasons."

"Are you? Sounds more like monetary gain, like mercenaries."

Abby shook her head. "That might've been the original intent but if these people are as dangerous as we've been told, then we need to put a stop to them before they get to powerful. If we don't stop people like these people then next thing we know, we'll be living under a tyrannical ruler who could kill you for sneezing the wrong way."

"We aren't living in the dark ages anymore. You can't just go around killing people because they _might_ get in your way."

Abby chuckled darkly. "Don't you get it? We basically _are_ living in the dark ages. Almost all the people who believed in talking problems out, are dead! In this new world, you'll have to kill, it's unavoidable. At least we try to only kill the bad guys, these Savior's don't sound like that matters."

"So, you're just as lost as your brother." Morgan sounded so disappointed.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Shows what you know about me. I was lost years before my brother. Death has been a regular part of my life for over a decade. I was the one trying to prevent my brother from going dark, but the world has plotted against me."

When Abby stood, she noted that only Father Gabriel remained in that tiny church. "Like Rick said, not everyone has to kill. We got enough people with blood already on their hands that you don't have to worry 'bout sullying yours further."

Abby left Morgan then and was immediately touched on the shoulder as she walked out of the door. When Abby turned, she saw Carol looking at her guardedly.

"Can we talk? I have something personal to ask and I think you're the only who'd truly understand." Carol almost looked nervous as she talked, making Abby concerned.

"We can go back to my townhouse, Daryl will be at Rick's. And I'm pretty sure Carl and Sophia are in class, right?"

Carol nodded. "Yes, let's go talk."

They walked the block and a half to Abby and Daryl's townhouse house and went inside. To be certain that Daryl wasn't there, Abby called up the stairs but when no reply came, she joined Carol as she sat on the couch.

"So, what's up?" Abby asked as she sat back.

Carol looked down at her hands as she took a deep breath, then let it out slowly before looking up at Abby once more. "I've been having a problem with my conscious recently. After what happened with the Wolves attacking us and then the walkers overrunning Alexandria, something with what Morgan said to me got me thinking."

Abby frowned. "Thinking 'bout what?"

"About how many people I've killed. I've started to wonder, what kind of mother am I if I continuously kill people? What kind of example am I setting?"

Abby put a hand on Carol's knee. "A damn good one. Those people you've killed, they've all been bad people! People who would've done your daughter harm, if you hadn't ended them."

"But am I teaching my daughter that its okay to kill? That violence is necessary? You were struggling with what you'd done during your time in the Corps when I met you, how did you move on?"

"Just because something is necessary, doesn't always necessarily make it any easier to swallow. What I did for the corps, for our country, was necessary at the time. Still, killing so many people did bother me…does bother me. You might've killed a lot of people recently but trust me, I'm pretty sure I still got you beat, three times over or more. As for what you're teaching Sophia, you're teaching her what it means to be strong, what a real family looks like, how to survive. She hasn't even seen you kill any of those people! She might guess that you've done that sort of thing, but she knows that you've only done what was necessary."

"I suppose." Carol conceded grudgingly.

"What you're feeling, it's not going to go away overnight, my problems didn't. I still get nightmares but I have Daryl there now and that helps me. You need to find someone to talk your feelings through with, whether its me or Daryl or Rick or even Denise, she's a head doctor by the way. She's actually the one who's helped me with…separating mourning my loss and loving my niece." Abby paused as she looked down at their hands for a moment. "Thank you by the way, I don't think I ever said that…for looking after me at my worst." Abby dashed away the tear that she hadn't realized had formed. "You know, you've had to kill people but you've helped more people than you've harmed. Maybe focusing on that will help you move on."

Carol surprised Abby by pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll always be there for you Abby, just like you've always been there for me and Sophia, I might not have her if it wasn't for you. I wish I could have repaid that debt."

Abby tightened the hug briefly as she choked back her emotions. "I know you would've."

Both women finally sat back and chuckled as they both wiped tears from their eyes, neither prone to tears…or at least Abby normally wasn't. Once both women had dried their eyes, they got up and left the building, heading straight for Rick's house. As Abby walked up the steps, Jack barked happily as he came up to Abby, wagging his tail. After giving him a good scratch, Abby followed Carol inside with Jack close on her heels and sat in the living room with Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Daryl and Reg, who'd been busy overseeing the construction of the foundation for a watch tower. Once Abby sat down by Daryl, Rick motioned to the piece of paper on the table beside a map.

"Andy has kindly drawn what he knows about the outside of the Savior's base." Abby knelt on the ground and unfurled the map and looked for the location that had been written on bottom corner of the hand drawn picture. "We should probably attack either early morning or late in the evening, a time when they most likely to be asleep. Abigail, I want you to take Abraham and a truck and see if you can get us a few more… helpful supplies."

"Gunny, you found all sorts of explosives on that dead walker, why don't we just blow that place into kibbles and bits? Save us from getting our hands too dirty." Abraham suggested.

Rick shook his head. "No, if there's supplies in that place, I want them."

"He might be on to something, Rick." Abby said nodding her head. "I mean, yeah, kill the bastards first but once we've gotten everything we need from the place, I can bring the place down, prevent anyone else from taking up residency."

"You can do that?" Maggie asked raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"I sure can, and if the sizing of this is accurate, I got enough C4 to do it. It's just a matter of takin' out the supporting beams."

Reg frowned. "Is that really necessary?"

"Reg is right, it's a waste of explosives and that could possibly attract more walkers back our way." Rick said.

"So, what's our plan on getting in?" Abby asked.

"Using the front door of course." Rick said sarcastically then smirked slightly when Abby glared at him. "They want Gregory's head, right? We're gonna give it to them."

They talked for another hour then Abby and Abraham left everyone to go do their task. Abby quickly grabbed her gear and trotted to the truck as Abraham idled outside the townhouse, waiting for her. Once they were well outside Alexandria, Abraham looked over at her.

"Where to, Gunny?" Abraham asked. "I'm guessing you have specific location in mind."

Abby smiled. "I do and you're gonna love it…but you're gonna have to wait and see."

"A surprise, huh. Hopefully it's as good as you make it sound." Abraham said with a crooked smile.

"Oh, better." Abby said as she put her feet up on the dash. "Just turn when I tell you to turn."

"Yes, ma'am." They rode in silence for almost ten minutes before Abraham broke the silence once more. "So why isn't Daryl goin' with you? Not that I'm complaining, I've been itching to do something outside the wall with you for a while now. It just seems like you two are attached at the hip."

Abby chuckled. "I guess we have been lately. We usually we're pretty independent, doin' our own stuff but after what happened in the prison, I guess we don't like the other leavin' our sight."

"Glenn told me what happened, pretty rough. Sounds like you had a decent set up there, not as nice as Alexandria but it sounded livable." Abraham looked over at her. "So, is this more like the normal you? I never truly got to know you before…you know."

Abby sighed as she looked out her window. "I don't know what my normal is anymore. I've been outta sorts since before the Outbreak. I had a pretty severe case of PTSD at one point, kind have been on the brink of goin' bat shit crazy for a while now."

Abraham chuckled. "Yeah I get that. I'm gonna tell you something that I haven't told anyone since I met Eugene, I haven't even told Rosita." Abby looked over at him and nodded solemnly. "I had it too, before the outbreak but I'd been retired for…a couple years already and I'd mostly gotten better. I had a family, two kids and a wife. We'd holed up in this store, just the four of us and had stayed there for weeks. One day, I come into the store and hear Ellen screaming. I run over to where her and the kids were and see a man pointing a knife at them while robbing us. I tackled that bastard to the ground. We tusselled a bit and in the end, I beat him to death with a can of tomatoes. When I looked up at my wife, she looked back at me like I was a monster."

Abby nodded her head. "Yeah, I got that look a lot back in the beginning. I shot Rick's best friend…but he was trying to kill Rick and steal Carl and Lori from him." Abby snickered. "Now it's just normal."

Abraham sighed. "Yeah."

"What happened to your family?" Abby felt guilty for asking, that just wasn't something you asked people, but he'd started the story and her morbid curiosity couldn't be contained.

Abraham tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I dragged that bastard out of the back door and buried him in back. When I came back, she'd left a note written on a rolled of receipt paper, then took the kids and left. I ran outside, I didn't think she could have gotten far…and I was right." Abraham scratched his head and looked away. "Found walkers gnawing on them…if Eugene hadn't come along when he did, I wouldn't be here."

"I'm sorry." Abby said sincerely. "I can't even imagine."

"I think you have some idea. I heard you had different husband before Daryl and you lost a kid, that shit changes you. Honestly, I don't know what my normal is either but things have started to look up for me and it will for you to. Shit takes time."

Abby smiled. "Are you trying to give me a pep talk? Make me feel better?"

Abraham chuckled. "I guess I am. Some of the stories people have told me about you, out pacing your brother, Glenn and Daryl by almost a mile when you were running back from Atlanta, assassinating that Governor fellow without being detected or them even realizing he hadn't killed himself, all the stuff you did at the prison when Rick was losing his shit!? I haven't really gotten see that, and I know what it's like to lose yourself."

"All you've really seen is a walking talking corpse. I used to be fun. Once upon a time, I was a riot! I could party with the best of them. Could drink most of my squad mates under the table."

"From what I saw this morning, you still are fun. I mean you made Daryl Dixon _laugh_! I've hardly seen him smirk and apparently he's always been like that."

Abby smirked. "For other people. Daryl's a lot more expressive with me. He actually used to be super hotheaded, got mad 'bout the smallest things. While most people are becoming more violent versions of themselves, Daryl's becoming a more gentle, more patient, a more kind version of himself."

"Funny how shit has worked out, isn't it?"

Abby chuckled. "Yeah."

They drove for the rest of the way in silence, Abby only speaking to point out the turns. When they rolled up to a stop in front of the gate, Abraham quirked an eyebrow as he looked over at her.

"What am I looking at?" He asked her skeptically.

"A top secret Marine base." Abby said grinning.

"A blown to shit Marine base and herd of walkers."

"Not quite. Turn off the engine and follow me." Abby said with a smirk, then climbed out of the vehicle.

Abby grabbed her gun then waited for Abraham to follow her, before she walked off into the bush. Abraham kept asking questions as they walked, but Abby just kept on telling him 'you'll see' as they went. When they arrived at the hidden entrance, Abby spread her arms grandly.

"Oookay." Abraham said in confusion.

Abby grinned then turned to the boulders and lifted the faux rock while saying "Open sesame!"

Abraham stepped forward and stared down at the hatch in disbelief. "Holy nut sack." Abby entered her code then opened the hatch. "It feels like Christmas morning!"

"Oh, just you wait, we haven't gotten inside yet. Close the hatch behind you." Abby said as she sat on the edge, then swung her legs down inside.

Abby climbed down the ladder and clicked on her flashlight, when she reached the bottom, then waited for Abraham to join her. When he joined her, they moved carefully down the hall, going straight for the generator room. When Abby entered the room, Abraham shined his light around the room as Abby walked over to the generator and turned only one on, so they'd have just enough power for emergency lighting and power the locks.

"How'd you come across this place?" Abraham asked finally.

"I've been here before, after one of my tours. That day that Daryl and I went out to play with some explosives, we stopped to check out this gas station. I was looking at a map of Washington and area, when I remembered this place. We came, checked it out, and found it intact. I told Rick about it and after he came here to see it, he wanted to keep it between the four of us."

"Four?"

"Michonne was there too. This place is nearly fully functional." Abby said as she moved to the door. "C'mon, Christmas day is about to get better."

They kept their flashlight's on as they walked down the dimly lit halls until they made it to the armory. When Abraham stepped through the door, stared wide eyed and shocked. He recovered from his shock when the lock buzzed and Abby opened the door.

"Holy nut butter! We could fight army with this! I haven't seen so many weapons in one place since Iraq!"

"Now do you get why Rick didn't want to tell everyone? He's not trying to keep it for himself, he just doesn't want our enemies to get a hold of this stuff."

"How'd you figure out the code?" Abraham asked as he came and inspected the locker she had unlocked.

"I didn't, I'm using my old code. Apparently, it was never removed from the system."

"How long were you retired before the outbreak?"

"Officially? Like a month, I was hospitalized for a while before that."

"Huh. Weird."

"Maybe they thought I'd come back? I didn't want to retire in the first place, I was forced out for medical reasons."

Abraham frowned when he saw her only grabbing body armor. "Why no guns?"

"Because we have more than enough for this job and we don't want to turn it into a fire fight."

"I guess you're right but…can I have one of those?" Abraham grinned as he pointed into another locker.

Abby looked over to where Abraham pointed at a row of high powered assault rifles already equipped with night vision scopes.

Abby laughed. "I hope you know how to use it, because she's no point and shoot kind of weapon."

"Oh, me and her kind go way back. Her and I will get along just fine." Abraham said as he turned his grin on her.

Abby laughed again, then showed him her security code. "It won't get you everywhere in this base but it'll get you where you wanna go." She said as he browsed the selection.

"So, what's the plan for this place anyways?" Abraham asked frowning.

"Plan B. If we lose Alexandria, we come here. There's enough food in the cafeteria to keep thirty people fed for three months. There's rooms, bedding, even some clothing. We also got anti-aircraft missiles and automated turrets, we just got to unlock them, then figure them out. We were hoping that Glenn would be nerdy enough to figure out the computer system and I'd show him what I know. Try to create security code for all the more trust worthy people like you."

"I might be able to help. I'm pretty familiar with how to operate heavy artillery and fix them." Abraham offered as he inspected a gun.

Abby nodded. "I'll let Rick know. He might send the three of us back here to get shit figured out after we're done with our clean up job."

Abraham grinned as he nodded, then picked up a stack of body armor and nodded towards the door. "Let's get going, it's gonna be late when we get back."

By the time they had hauled all of the armor out of the hatch, the sun had already begun to set. After getting their load to the truck, they climbed inside and drove for home.

As they drove, Abraham looked over at her once more. "So why not ask Eugene to help? He's plenty smart and probably knows computers well."

"That might be so, but would you trust him to not give up the location, security code and everything he knows if he ever got caught and interrogated?"

Abraham sighed. "No, he's one big coward."

"Glenn may not be as smart as Eugene but he's crafty and loyal to a fault. He's even been tortured before and only gave up information when they threatened to harm Maggie."

"He's a lot tougher than he appears." They were silent for a long time before Abraham spoke again. "So…I broke it off with Rosita…"

Abby frowned. "Why?"

"Because, I don't love her. I never did. When I met her, I thought she was the only woman left in the world and I wanted to forget Ellen, you know move on. Now, there's a whole bunch of women out there and one in particular that I like. Seeing Glenn and Maggie trying to make a family despite all this crap, watching you and Daryl find love despite everything, it's made me realize that I don't have to settle with what I got but find something, someone and live my life to the fullest, while I still got it. You never know when the fat lady will sing and when she does I want people to look back and say he _lived_."

Abby patted Abraham's arm. "I don't think you'll have that problem. As for Rosita, I was married to a man I didn't love for a decade, and I pretty much threw myself into war to deal with the fact that I wasn't being loved. Trust me, if you don't love her then you're doing both of you a favor, even if she doesn't see it that way. She's young, beautiful, smart and more importantly, she's a survivor. She'll be fine."

An hour later they rolled into Alexandria. They rolled down the street and stopped in front of the armory.

"Well this was fun. It's awful to say but I'd hope to get in a little shit to see how you operate up close and personal, but I guess that'll wait to another day." Abraham said grinning.

Abby smiled. "Trust me, there will be shit. Another day but I had fun too. It was nice to get to know you better, Abraham."

Abraham winked then turned and started away, then stopped and looked back at her. "All that personal stuff, I've never told that stuff before. Mind keeping it to yourself?"

Abby crossed her arms. "I'm not a gossiper, I don't air other people's laundry…unless its funny embarrassing things about my brother." Abraham chuckled. "I'm good listener so if you ever need to bend an ear, I'm here."

"Thanks Gunny." Abraham said sincerely, then turned and walked off.

Abby peered down the street that Rick's house was on; there was only one-bedroom light on and when she looked behind her, she saw no light on in any of her townhouses windows. Daryl must be asleep but she needed to let Rick know that she was back, so she walked down the street to her brothers house, then knocked on the door. The kitchen light came on and Abby stepped inside before Rick had a chance to open the door.

"You're back." Rick said as he sat down at the island.

"I am. You weren't specific with what you wanted me to get, but I figured since we had plenty of guns and ammo, you wanted the body armor."

"You guessed right. Sorry, we should've had a discussion before the discussion but I felt like we needed to rush, get things planned." Rick patted her hand as she sat down beside him.

Abby grinned. "It's fine. So, you got the plan nailed down."

"Yeah, mostly. I'm tired, can this wait until morning?" Rick asked as he rubbed his face. "Or ask Daryl."

Abby sighed. "Fine, I'll wake my sleeping husband instead of bothering my already awake brother." Abby got to her feet. "FYI, it's your own fault that you're tired."

"Good night, Abigail!" Rick said tiredly.

Abby chuckled as she left the house. She quickly trotted down the steps then jogged down the street to her own home. When she reached the door, she carefully opened and closed the door, trying to not wake Daryl. Once she'd slid off her boots and set her equipment on the ground, she tiptoed up the stairs, then down the short hall into the bedroom. The room was pretty dark, but Abby could see Daryl laying on his side, arm thrown over his face as he slept. She quietly stepped into their walk-in closet, stripped off all her clothing, the pulled on a tank top and shorts. When she stepped back into the room, Daryl was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

Abby put her hands to her hips. "I was trying to not wake you."

"Well you failed. Now get in here so I can go back to sleep." Daryl said sleepily. Abby climbed onto the bed and curled up against Daryl as he pulled the covers over them. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "This makes this place worth it."

"You make everything worth it." Abby said as she rubbed her forehead against his beard. "G'night."

111

The next morning, pretty much everyone from their original group but the kids, along with four other Alexandrian's, piled into four vehicles. In their vehicle was Daryl at the wheel, with Tyrese, Abraham and poor Sasha squished in between her brother and Abraham, in the back.

By the time they'd rolled to a stop, it had reached midday and the sun had been hidden behind the clouds, making it dreary and chilly. Underneath her Kevlar vest Abby had a military jacket she'd taken from the base and a military hat, with her hair French braided tightly in the fashion she'd worn it during her tours, making her look every bit the solider she was. Abraham had also taken a fresh pair of fatigue pants and hat but had opted to wear his regular coat under his vest, still pulling off the military look. Everyone now had a vest also but most shifted uncomfortably, unaccustomed to the weight and bulkiness and making Tyrese, who'd look intimidating butt naked, all the more intimidating.

"Aaron, Rosita." Rick called as he stepped out of the RV. Then continued as they gathered around the front of the RV. "You start here. We'll peel off every quarter mile, meet back here in a couple hours. See what we got. Abigail, see if you can get a good line of sight but don't get too close. I don't want them knowing we're here."

Abby quirked an eyebrow. "Me be seen? Really?"

Rick sighed. "Just be careful and take someone with you. You got four hours."

Abby looked over at Beth. "C'mon." She said then walked back to the truck she had ridden in and pulled out two snipers camo outfit's, handing one to Beth who grinned.

Abby helped her step into it then handed her the war paint as she pulled on her own camo. Once they were both dressed and painted up, Beth followed Abby into the woods, gun hanging from her shoulder and knife in her hand. They walked for an hour before Abby indicated for Beth to stop then looked around for a good tree to climb. Once she found one she thought she'd get a line of sight from and sturdy enough to support them, the two women climbed the trees as high as was safe then settled down to watch.

"So, what do you really think about killing these people without knowing them first?" Beth asked quietly.

Abby sighed as she stared down her scope. "Jesus seems to be a straight shooter, an honest character. If he says these people are murders, then I believe. Strategically speaking, it's the smartest move. If we attack with them being able to see us comin' they could kill one of us. If we do it silently, then we don't die."

"I don't know if I can kill someone in cold blood like that. It's one thing to do it when you're protecting yourselves, it's another to do it when they're sleeping." Beth said sadly.

"And you don't have to, just leave it to me. You'll be with Glenn, Heath and I, you can watch our backs while the rest of us do the dirty work."

"Okay." Beth said as she watched the ground around their perch. "Have you ever killed someone like this before? I mean you're a sniper, you're supposed to be doing things from far away."

"I wish it worked like that but there have been times when I had to get up close and personal. It's never easy, no matter how many times you do it."

Abby watched the Savior's for their pre-allotted two hours, never seeing more than eight people outside the building at one time. They were just about to climb out of their tree when three men quietly walked by and stopped just three trees over, placing their backs to the tree and sliding to the ground.

A fourth man suddenly emerged and sighed in irritation. "C'mon you pansy's, we're almost there!"

Abby's blood froze as she stared at the new man, Merle. Abby unfroze and bent close as she put her lips to Beth's ear.

"Can you shoot one of those men?" When Beth nodded her head firmly, she continued. "I'm gonna climbed down as quietly as I can. When I give the signal, shoot the man furthest to the left, I'll shoot the other two. Hopefully Merle will be slow to respond." Beth gave her a doubtful look. "It'll be fine."

Beth let out a slow sigh then nodded her head. Abby strung her rifle across her back, then carefully worked her way down. When she was just seven feet up, she pulled out her pistol, took careful aim at her first victim as the men below conversed, then held her hand up and counted down from three. At the same moment, both Abby and Beth took out their targets, then Abby took out her second target before dropping out of the tree and shouting. "Wait!" As she held up her pistol at Merle who took aim at her.

Merle blinked hard a couple times, then relaxed slightly. "I'll be damned. If it ain't my little brothers squeeze."

"His wife, actually." Abby said in irritation as she held her gun on him.

"Right, forgot. He here?" Merle asked peering up into the tree she'd drop from.

"He's around but I'm not sure he'll be happy to see you hanging with these assholes. You certainly know how to choose your allies, don't you?"

"I do what it takes to survive, and these people are really good at surviving." Merle said shrugging.

"Put your gun down, Merle." Abby ordered. "I'd rather not shoot my brother-in-law."

"You first, princess."

"Yeah, well you got two guns on you. So, if you shoot me, then you're dead and you break your brothers heart."

Merle thought about it for a moment then threw his pistol at her feet. "Hands in the air…or hand and stump." She ordered, then when he complied, Abby raised her voice. "C'mon down." Abby waited for Beth to climbed down, making Merle snicker and shake his head when he saw who her back up was.

"A kid? I put my gun down because of a kid?" Merle asked, shaking his head.

"She's not much of a kid no more." Abby said then to Beth. "Keep your gun on him, I'm gonna tie him up."

Beth nodded her head as Abby put hers away. She carefully approached Merle, pulling his arm down with the knife, detaching the knife, then pulled down the other hand and used zip ties she pulled from one of her pockets, to bind his hands together. She then pulled a handkerchief from around one of the dead guys neck and moved to blind fold his eyes, but Merle stepped back.

"That really necessary?" He asked unhappily.

"Yeah its necessary." Abby replied as she stepped forward and wrapped the handkerchief around his head then grabbed his elbow. "Let's go sunshine."

* * *

Merle! I had a couple people really happy when I didn't kill him of in When Shit Hits The fan. He won't be too prominent in the next couple chapters, but he will get a little more face time later on.

-Shockra


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! So I had intended on posting this yesterday but got a little busy getting ready for my trip! It's the long weekend here in Canada so I'll be busy this weekend! Anyways. enjoy!

* * *

Abby and Beth emerged from the trees, pushing Merle along in front of them, and was almost immediately greeted by an annoyed Rick but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Merle. Rick looked shocked from Merle then to Abby then over his shoulder where Daryl slid off of the hood of a truck, apparently not seeing Merle yet.

"You have got to be kidding!" Michonne growled in irritation.

Merle smiled. "Well if it isn't my Nubian Queen." He said then laughed.

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks, just behind the RV, not having seen his brother yet but obviously hearing him. Daryl stared at Michonne, shocked then slowly stepped around the corner.

"You guys know him?" Aaron asked as everyone started gathering around.

"He's my brother." Daryl grumbled as he pulled the blind fold from Merle's face.

Merle immediately grinned. "Darylina! What the hell are you and these pansy assed pussies' all doin' here?! Why don't you untie Ole Merle and tell me 'bout it!"

Daryl pulled the blindfold off Merle's neck then balled it up and shoved it into his mouth. "No. We're keeping your ugly ass somewhere outta trouble." Then looked over at Abby. "Let me guess, he's with those Saviors assholes."

Abby nodded. "We killed three of them, headin' for our destination."

Rick looked over at Tyrese. "Shove this idiot into the RV, keep him from getting into trouble. We'll deal with him back home."

"Wait, it he's a Savior, maybe he can help! Give us some information." Jesus suggested as Tyrese man handled Merle into the RV, Merle growling and thrashing the whole way.

Daryl looked over at his brother then shook his head. "No, Merle only looks out for number one. He might try, and miss lead us."

"But he's your brother." Jesus said, confused.

Daryl scoffed. "That don't matter to him. Merle's always been a bastard, but I can see it in his eyes, he's worse then before. He's lost his humanity."

Abby trotted after Daryl as he walked to the back of the line of vehicles and started to pace the pavement angrily.

"Of course, he'd be with asshole's like that!" Daryl said angrily, more worked up then she'd seen him in a long time. "Every time I think…" Daryl shook his head angrily and turned away.

Abby tried to gently grab his arm, but he reefed it away, guilt momentarily working its way onto his face before turning away and storming into the woods.

"Abigail." Rick called then stopped beside her. "You need to calm him down, I need him to help me. I know Merle just threw him off balance, but you need to get him back on balance."

Abby rolled her eyes, irritated with her brother. "I don't need you to tell me to console my husband."

Abby trotted after Daryl and caught up to him deep in the woods when he had decided to light up a smoke. Abby walked over to him casually and leaned against a tree.

"I don't want to be bothered right now." Daryl growled.

"I know I just wanted to make sure you don't get lost." Abby smirked as Daryl rolled his eyes.

"That's not funny." He said as he sighed out his smoke.

"Yes, it is and you know it, yer just too cranky to admit it. And normally I don't get lost but I do recall you rescuing me when we first met." She said as she poked him in the side.

"You were havin' one of your episodes back then and you weren't truly lost, jus' didn't know where you were. As for me, I didn't storm blindly off into the woods, I know where I am."

Abby made a pouty face as she approached him and this time he didn't pull away as she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "You're no fun."

Daryl put his hands on either side of her face and rested his forehead against hers. "What'd I do without you? Still manage to make me feel better even when I'm determined to be pissed off."

"True love and me knowin' you inside and out might have something to do with it." Abby said then tilted his face slightly and pecked him on the lips. "Are you present enough to do this mission? Or are we gonna have to make you babysit Gabriel and the Hilltop folks."

"Yeah, babe, I'm fine. I'll be pissed off when we get back, maybe give Merle a black eye." Daryl kissed her then stepped back. "C'mon, Rick's probably freaking out right about now."

Abby grabbed his hand and the two of them walked back to their little convoy and found everyone reclining against the vehicles. Rick got up walked over to them, carefully inspecting Daryl.

"You good?" He asked.

Daryl nodded. "I'm good." Then indicated in the direction of the RV door. "You want me to talk to him?"

"No, we don't need his help and if he somehow gets away, I want him to know as little as possible." Rick said

Daryl frowned. "I wouldn't tell 'em nothing!" Daryl growled, insulted.

Rick sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not implying that you would. Merle's a lot more observant than he appears and he's a smooth talker when he wants to be. You might be more susceptible to it than you think." Daryl opened his mouth to protest again but Rick held up his hand and continued talking so he couldn't interrupt. "I know you wouldn't give him jack for information, but your reactions might be enough and nobody can get you goin' like Merle. I think you storming off with just seeing him, proves that."

Daryl crossed his arms and glared at Rick angrily but didn't say anything further as Rick walked away. Abby rubbed Daryl's arm then she followed after her brother, as Rick walked into the center of their group. Rick waved for her to stand beside him, then looked at the others in the group then back at Abby.

"So, besides finding Merle. What else did you discover?" Rick asked her.

Abby shook her head. "Not a lot. There was never more than eight people at one time on the outside, a couple vehicles comin' and goin' but I only watched them for two hours, that's hardly enough time to get a clear picture on their numbers or capabilities. They have at least a couple heavy weapons, AK-47's and other similar weapon's."

Rick nodded his head. "We're gonna take another look around, try to get a better feel for how many people are in there. We like how it looks, we go in. A couple hours before dawn."

"Why don't we ask our prisoner?" Jesus asked. "He's Daryl's brother, I'm sure he'll talk."

Daryl glared at Jesus. "You don't know shit 'bout my brother. Merle can be loyal to a fault, both his best and worst trait since he tends to devote that loyalty to two-bit assholes."

"Like the Governor." Glenn grumbled.

Daryl shook his head. "No, he hated that asshole. He was just a means to an end. Merle's also good a usin' people."

Rick held up his hands again. "Even if Merle did talk, I don't know how much I'd trust him. He might not want to get his brother killed, but he most certainly don't care about the rest of us. If we go a couple hours before dawn, the guards will be tired and everyone inside'll be sleeping. We don't like what we see, we'll head back, make a new plan. They don't care who we are. We'll keep Jesus in the shadows…this is how we eat. We roll out at midnight."

Rick walked off, followed by Carol as everyone dispersed. Daryl grabbed Abby's hand, cigarette still in his other hand and pulled her up onto the hood of the truck and continued puffing on his smoke. Abby pulled the top of her sniper camouflage, off and threw it over the roof into the bed of the truck before lounging against the windshield and rubbed Daryl's knee as he glared at the back window of the RV.

"If want to go talk to him, then go. I don't care what Rick says."

Daryl shook his head. "No, he's right. Merle'll get under my skin, like always. I'll deal with him when we get back. Was he at least in charge?"

Abby sighed. "There didn't seem to be anyone in charge. The other three sat on their ass's half a mile from home, Merle got annoyed, but they didn't seem too concerned."

"Either he's gotten soft or these guys are as hard as he is and that tells me we're probably doing the right thing." Daryl took one final drag from his cigarette the snuffed it out on the hood before dropping the butt onto the pavement.

111

Abby slowly emerged from the bush right behind Daryl then followed him as he dashed towards the corner of the building then followed the wall until they were within view of the front door. Daryl strung his tactical shotgun across his back and pulled out his knife while they both watched Andy converse with the two guards. When one disappeared into the building, Daryl silently rushed forward while Abby pointed her gun at the door in case the second guard came back too soon. Daryl quickly slashed the man's throat then thrust his knife into his skull, so he wouldn't come back. He waved for the others to retrieve the body and pulled his shotgun from his back.

Once they had removed the body, Daryl retreated to her side as Andy quickly cleared evidence of the struggle out of the way then pretended like nothing had happened as he waited for the other guard to come out. The guard didn't take long to appear, and he didn't seem to notice that his buddy had disappeared as he guided the Hilltop resident, Craig, to Andy. The man started to talk but Michonne quickly appeared behind him and thrust her sword into him as Andy rushed forward and grabbed his friend and assured him. Daryl, Abby and Glenn all rushed the door, then Daryl opened the door with the keys that Rick had removed from the guard's belt and threw to him.

They cleared the front area of the building, quickly then split up into their pre-designated rooms, Abby taking point with Beth and Heath in the middle and Glenn taking up the rear. Abby briefly acknowledged Daryl as he stood guard by a door as Rick disappeared inside then focused on the door in front of her. Abby pulled her knife while still holding her gun she counted down from three, then Glenn slowly opened the door. Inside, two men slept on cots with emergency lights, lighting the room. Abby stepped into the room with Glenn as he stared nervously at the man nearest him. Abby quickly plunged her blade into her man's skull without little thought then walked over to Glenn as he held the blade above the man's face, shaking slightly but determination in his eyes. Abby put her hand on his and pushed them away, she didn't want to make him do it unless absolutely necessary, his soul was too pure for that. So, she plunged her own blade into the man's skull then patted Glenn on the shoulder.

"I was going to do it." He whispered quietly.

"I know but I want you to stay as good and pure as you are for as long as possible. I lost that a long time ago." She said as she moved to the door.

Glenn frowned at her. "You're a _good_ person, Abby."

Abby flashed Glenn a quick smile then exited the room. They had just started down the hall when an alarm sounded, reverberating throughout the whole facility. Three men appeared around the corner, and Abby immediately fired as the other three took off down the hall. Abby slowly backed up as the others booked it down the hall, returning fire as they went. Abby heard Beth call her name but ignored it as she ducked behind a metal crate for cover. She suddenly wished that she'd traded her sniper rifle for a proper assault rifle, but she unwisely didn't think she'd need it. Abby pulled a flashbang from her vest pocket looked at it then put it back, she didn't know where everyone else was and she couldn't risk them getting caught in the flash.

Abby replaced her emptied clip, then popped out, catching a man who'd been approaching her position, by surprise. Abby took him out then took out the man behind him. She quickly, ducked behind the crate once more as the remaining woman opened fire on her. Beth suddenly appeared from the room that she, Glenn and Heath had disappeared into, firing an assault rifle she hadn't previously been holding, killing the woman. Abby slowly got up and moved towards the bodies, suddenly a door slammed into her knocking her to the ground, Beth and Glenn both raised their guns but couldn't take him out as the door protected him. Abby raised her gun to protect herself but before she could bring it up fully, a gun fired, and the man collapsed onto the ground. Abby looked over to where the shot had come from and saw Jesus standing there, holding a gun.

"So, this is the new world." He said in disappointment.

Abby let out a sigh. "Thanks." She said as she got to her feet, "your timing couldn't be better."

They continued clearing the building, but most everyone had finished with their own gun fights, their group not suffering a single casualty. They all gathered around a door that lead outside and filed out, Abby was slightly stunned with how high sun already was, not realizing how much time had passed. They all spread out, Glenn and Heath walking over to the vehicles while Abby and Sasha kept a weathered eye on their surroundings.

"You okay, babe?" Daryl asked coming over to her.

"Just peachy, you?"

"I'm not dead, so that's a good thing. Glenn said they found the armoury."

Abby nodded. "I imagine that's where Beth got her gun from. I didn't retreat when they came after us, there was just three of them."

"Where was you back up?" Daryl asked as he frowned in irritation.

"I imagine in that closet where they found those guns, but Beth came back pretty quick. They probably thought I'd retreated with them."

Daryl shook his head. "Dammit, Glenn."

Abby rubbed his arm. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine and they aren't used to fire fights, I am."

"Still, they left you." Daryl grumbled as Heath and Tara climbed up into one of the Saviors trucks with a camper on the back and drove out of the gate that Michonne had opened.

Abby had just stepped forward to give Daryl a kiss when another garage door rolled opened and a man on the back of Daryl's motorcycle, tore out of it. Daryl swore as he ran towards the man and Sasha opened fire, clipping the man and causing him to wipe out. Daryl was almost immediately on top of him, beating the crap out of him.

"Where'd you get the bike?!" He yelled as Rick came up behind him and pointed his gun at the man's head.

"Drop the Colt, prick." A voice came from the walkie by the man's head.

Abby immediately dropped to her belly, popped out the stand of her sniper rifle and hoped they hadn't noticed her yet. The grass was reasonably tall, and Abby was dressed head to toe in her camo fatigue's, she doubted they'd see her easily even if her face paint had started to run in the rain.

Abby frowned as she listened to the walkie. "We've got a Carol and a Maggie…"

Abby peered through the scope of her rifle, as Rick conversed with their enemies, and carefully surveyed their surroundings. Daryl had pulled the man to his feet while still holding his gun to the man's head, making it clear that they meant business. Abby meticulously surveyed the bush, but she didn't have a lot of time while Rick tried to keep them occupied.

"You see them, baby girl?" Rick asked keeping his eyes straight ahead as not to give away her location.

"Not yet."

Rick raised the walkie to his mouth. "Come on now, it's a fair trade. You come on out and we can do this now. We can all walk away."

The silence was so long that Abby had thought they'd left, but then she saw the glare and smiled. "Got 'em, I see four, but I can't get a clear shot. Shit, they're moving!"

Daryl practically pulled her to her feet by the belt as the others took off running in the direction she'd been looking. "How far?" He asked as they ran.

"A thousand yards." Abby replied. "Go straight west from that big poplar!"

They first had to run around the fence before they could head back towards where Abby had last seen them. When they reached the spot, Daryl carefully surveyed the ground.

"They're heading for that road." Daryl said, indicating the direction of the tracks.

Rick looked at the others. "Daryl, Abigail and I are going to continue following the tracks you all get back to the cars and see if you can cut them off."

They all nodded and ran off towards where they had the vehicles parked while her and Rick followed Daryl as he ran off into the woods.

"They must've not realized that we'd spotted them, they ain't going too fast, we might be able to catch up with them!" Daryl called back over his shoulder.

They ran for a good ten minutes and picked up their speed as they heard car doors slamming and gravel spraying as they took off. By the time they made it to the road, all they could see was a cloud of dust. They couldn't see their own cars yet, so they continued running down the road, trying to keep track of their enemy's car. Thankfully, they were on a gravel road so following the tracks was easy. By the time their cars had caught up with them, another ten minutes had passed.

They climbed up into the bed of the truck, then Glenn took off down the road, following the tracks. Within fifteen minutes, they found where the people had gone, smoke pluming from a smoke stack, as they all piled out of the vehicles. Unfortunately, another vehicle had joined the other, but it was a small half ton, so hopefully their numbers hadn't expanded too much. Abby stared at building for a moment, it seemed a little ironic that these people had chosen to hole up in a slaughter house.

On the way, Abby had replaced her sniper rifle with an assault rifle, so she'd have something better than a pistol if they got into another close quarter fire fight. They cautiously approached the door, Abby pulled up the rear with Abraham as Rick, Glenn and Daryl led their group to the door. When they opened the door, they were all shocked to find Maggie holding a gun aloft.

"Maggie!" Glenn breathed as he pulled her into a hug.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, looking worriedly into Carol's face as everyone rushed inside. "We got your trail. You start a fire?"

"Yeah." Carol answered as Abby stopped and studied her, she seemed close to tears.

Even Daryl noticed. "Hey, you good?" He asked as he tipped Carol's chin up, so he could look int her eyes.

Carol shook her head. "No."

Daryl pulled her into a hug, surprising Abby a little. He didn't show affection publicly, very often.

"They're dead, they're all dead. The ones that took us, they're dead." Maggie said, looking equally as upset as Carol.

"Hey are you okay?" Glenn asked worriedly.

"I just…I can't anymore." Maggie said, her voice shaking.

"It's okay." Glenn said soothingly as he pulled her into a hug.

Abby left Carol's side to walk over to where Rick watched their prisoner, then stood in front of the man so she could watch his face.

"Your friends are dead. No one's coming for you. So, you might as well talk. Where'd you get the bike?" Rick asked.

"Let him burn." Daryl growled.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time…" Rick threatened. "How'd you get that bike?"

"We found it." The man answered.

"Like hell you did!" Daryl said angrily.

"We found it." The man repeated.

"Was Negan in that building last night? Or was he here?" Ricked asked.

Abby frowned, a moment ago the man seemed almost scared, uncertain. But when Rick said Negan's name, something like intense fear passed his face but quickly hardened to steely resolve so quickly that Abby wasn't sure she had seen it. The man smiled and looked at Rick finally.

"Both. I'm Negan, shithead. There's an entire world of fun we can talk about, so let's have a chat."

"I'm sorry it had to come to this." Rick said then raised his gun and pulled the trigger before anyone could react, spraying Abby in blood.

Abby frowned at her brother as she wiped the blood from her face. "You shouldn't have done that."

"You heard him, he's Negan."

Abby looked down at the dead man, "I'm not so sure."

Daryl walked up to her and wiped her face with a cloth he kept in his back pocket. "What'd you mean?"

"When Rick asked him about Negan, for just a second, he looked terrified."

"Maybe he realized he was dead, no matter what." Rick suggested.

Abby stared at the body silently for a moment then shook her head. "No, that's not it."

"I'll ask Merle 'bout him, maybe he'll be co-operative for once in his life." Daryl mumbled.

"Look, if we're done here, we should leave. This place gives me the serious case of the willies." Abraham mumbled as he walked over to them.

"Yeah, let's collect the RV and go home." Sasha agreed.

Rick shook his head. "Not all of us. Abigail, you and Abraham take the RV home. The rest of us will go, clean that place out, collect all those weapons, get Daryl's bike. Then Daryl and I will go to the Hilltop."

Daryl looked at Rick skeptically. "Maybe I should be headin' back with Merle and Abby stayin' with you."

"I can handle Merle, babe." Abby said giving Daryl a quick peck.

"I know you can, but with his mouth, I'm not sure he's gonna make it back alive." Daryl mumbled.

Abby looked back at Rick. "Maybe Abraham can help with loading and I can take Maggie and Carol back with me, they need the rest."

Rick sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's go."

Half an hour later, Abby was behind the wheel of the RV with Maggie sitting shotgun and Carol sitting behind her. Tyrese watched moodily from the back of the RV, unhappily keeping Merle company. At one point, when the alarm had sounded, Merle had tried to make a run for it and nearly got away, but Tyrese had managed to track him down and dragged him back unconscious.

Daryl was happy to get his bike back but her bad feeling had seeped into his bones too and he'd been uncomfortable watching her drive away. Abby looked into the rearview mirror at Carol as she fidgeted uncomfortably, still looking close to tears.

"What happened back there?" Abby asked. "You both seem off."

"You remember the talk we had the other day?" Carol asked as she looked up at Abby's reflection.

"Yeah." Abby replied uncertainly.

"Well, I killed two more people in cold blood and burned three more to death…I don't think I can just forget."

Abby sighed. "You should talk with Denise, Carol. I did, and it actually helped me. Because of her, I can hold my niece again and not freak out."

Carol looked away. "Maybe."

"Abby's probably right, my dad said talking about his problems helped him forgive his father and stop drinking." Maggie said as she turned in her seat, so she could see both women.

"How _have_ you been, Abby?" Carol asked, trying to redirect the attention away from herself.

"Coping. Alexandria has given me time to reflect and heal and I think it's helping Daryl too, slowly."

"He didn't even glance at the ultrasound." Maggie said sadly.

Abby sighed. "I think his issues are different from mine in some ways. He's put together on the outside, but he took our loss just as hard as I did. He keeps it in better than I do and uses walkers as his punching bags. He's still healing, though, too but he _is_ happy for you two."

"I know." Maggie said as she looked out of the windshield. "I should have listened to Glenn. He was terrified that something would happen to me like it did to you, but I insisted on seeing what I started, through."

"You _should_ have stayed home!" Carol grumbled, sounding very unkind.

Abby frowned at Carol's reflection, then looked at Maggie. "For what it's worth, I'd have done the same thing if I was in your situation. Even after what happened to me…although Daryl and Rick would have tied hand and foot to prevent me from going."

Maggie smirked as she looked back at Abby. "They would've freaked out if our roles had been reversed. I don't envy your situation. An over protective brother who gets along extremely well with the over protective husband. At least Daddy trusted Glenn and I to make our own decisions, Rick likes to be right up in your business and Daryl appreciates the back up."

Abby sighed. "Story of my life."

They drove the rest of the way in silence, only occasionally making a passing comment. Tyrese eventually joined them at the front, after tying Merle securely to the back of the RV. Abby was glad Rick had let him come along, his humor helped lightened the mood with his corny jokes and sweet personality. It reminded Abby that she really needed to reconnect with those in their group, Glenn wasn't the only one she'd all but ignored. The second they rolled to a stop, Carl was waiting there with Judith in his arms and Sophia by his side. As soon as Abby stepped out of the RV, he looked her in the face worriedly.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

"Not quite as expected." Abby said then indicated Merle, who'd been blind folded before he was led off of the RV by Tyrese for safety purposes.

"Merle?" Carl asked in astonishment.

Merle turned his head slightly upon hearing his name but continued down the street as Tyrese dragged him forward. Abby ruffled Carl's hair then touched Judith's cheek.

"Don't worry, kiddo. Your dad and everyone else is fine. We're just collect the stuff from the Savior's Outpost and then our payment from Hilltop. They should all be home by late tonight or early tomorrow morning." Abby said assuredly.

Carl sighed in relief. "Okay."

Abby gave both her niece and nephew a kiss on the head as Sophia walked off with her mom. "I got a man to talk to about some questions. I'll come by later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Enid was going to come over and look at some of my comic books, we might be in my room when you get there." Carl said as he shifted Judith.

Abby rubbed his head, then followed in Tyrese's wake. She caught up to him when he stopped in the doorway of the lower level condo that they had started to use as a cell. Tyrese stared in shock as he held on to Merle as he just stood there. Curious at what he was staring at, Abby pushed passed the big man and then did the same. Three quarters of the room had been lined with cinder blocks and the two windows had wrought iron bars over them. Morgan stood on a ladder by the door staring down at them as he worked on installing the cell door.

"You've been busy." Abby commented as she stared.

"I wanted to give Rick other options besides death." Morgan said, then noticed the man in Tyrese's grip. "Who's he?"

"That's Merle. He's Daryl's brother." Abby said finally snapping out of her shock.

"If he's Daryl's brother, why is he bound, gagged and blindfolded?" Morgan asked as he stepped down from the ladder.

Merle made a sound that sounded like a 'Yeah!"

"It's complicated." Abby answered, then indicated for Tyrese to follow her into the other room.

Abby grabbed a tall bucket, flipped it over and indicated for Tyrese to sit Merle down on it. Once Merle was sitting on the bucket, Abby pulled off Merle's blindfold then looked back at Tyrese.

"I'm sure you need a break big guy, watching him the whole night. I wanna have a talk with Merle, you go get some sleep and when I'm done, I'll get someone to watch him."

Tyrese studied her carefully. "Are you sure? I can stay."

Abby smiled as she patted his big burly arm. "I can handle him, Tyrese. Go."

He stared at her a moment longer, then turned and left. When she heard the door click shut, she finally pulled the gag from Merle's mouth.

"'bout time!" Merle said as worked his mouth. "That thing tasted like ass!"

Abby smirked. "Then don't lick it."

"Cute." Merle grumbled. "Where's Daryl?"

"Out there, still doing some business. I'm sure he'll wanna talk to you when he gets back but until then, yer stuck with me."

"Well at least the view ain't bad. Still don't know how my punk ass brother got himself a woman like you."

"By being a decent human being and being great in bed." Abby said smirking. Merle snorted. "So where did you go after you watched Woodbury?"

Merle held up his hand and looked from her to his wrist's that were still bound together. "Untie me and I'll sing like a bird."

Abby shook her head. "No. You talk and I might make sure you eat."

Merle grunted. "I forgot that you got a mean streak in you. Daryl told me to never take you lightly, that if you made a threat, you meant it. So, if you say you're gonna starve me you're gonna."

"That's right. Also take into consideration that my niece and nephew are here, and I'll do what ever it takes to protect them and the rest of my family. So, if I think you're a threat, I _will_ kill you."

"What about Daryl? I'm still his brother." Merle staring at her icily.

"That's for me to deal with. Now answer the question."

Merle stared at her, his stare cold as ice. "I wandered for a while, completely on my own. After the Governor, I was a little sick of people. After a couple months, I had this epiphany. If there was any real civilization left, I thought it'd be where the government was, so I headed north. Eventually, I ran into my friends, the Saviors. These people know how to get shit done, so I decided to stick around." Merle shrugged nonchalant. "Things were going fine, until you showed up. I don't think you realized what kind of shit you've stepped into."

Abby crossed her arms. "Enlighten me."

"I'm guessin' from the way you were dressed, that you were plannin' on attack that little outpost. Since you're still alive, I'm guessing you succeeded but that place, it's just the tip of the iceberg."

"So, this Negan character, wasn't there?"

Merle snickered. " _I'm_ Negan, we're _all_ Negan."

Abby frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, sweet heart. You and big brother are about to find out. Someone attack's a Savior's outpost, they get punished. I suggest you take yourself and your family back to Georgia, the sky is about to rain blood and I wouldn't want Daryl to get caught in it."

* * *

So? What do you think of Merle? Will he choose his brother or Negan?

-Shockra


	6. Chapter 6

Good evening! Boy, this was not a chapter to start editing late in the day! Oh well, hopefully my exhaustion hasn't made me miss too many things! If there is a lot of errors, I apologize. Speaking of errors, I recently went back and started re-reading my work and boy did I miss a lot. A couple of big mistakes too! So once I'm done posting this story, I'll probably go back to my first ever story and fix my mistakes and move on to my other stories...but that'll be a process...

* * *

Abby tapped her foot impatiently as she sat on the front porch of Rick's house. The sun had now set, and she had put Judith down for the night herself, making Carl immensely happy that she seemed to be moving on. He was also immensely happy with her for cooking him supper, instead of being left to his own devices. Enid had joined them also and Carl seemed quite surprised when she chatted Abby up. When she left for the night, Abby asked Carl about his reaction.

"She talks to me and Sophia but she doesn't really seem to talk to other people." Carl explained as he dried the dishes she'd washed. "When we first got here, Ron said it took her two weeks to even say anything."

"She was completely alone, right?"

Carl nodded morosely. "Yeah. She told Sophia that it had been just her and her parents for a while but they died and she was left alone."

Abby shook her head sadly, thinking of how it would have been if it'd just been Carl by himself. "Poor kid."

"I think she sees you as this tough badass, which you are, and maybe looks up to you. She likes Maggie too, I think, but I think that has something to do with when the walkers got inside." Carl stared at the plate he'd been drying, that was still in his hands, for a moment then turned around to put it away. "She still sneaks outside you know, over the wall. I go with her, make sure she's okay."

Abby frowned. "Does your dad know that?"

"Basically. He's seen me out there but I can handle myself." Carl said the last part a little defensively.

"Walkers, okay but with what happened today and what Merle said…you two should maybe stay within the walls." Just the thought of Carl outside the walls by himself, made her apprehensive.

Carl frowned as he studied her carefully, looking every bit like his father in that moment. "What do you mean?"

Abby sighed as she let the water out of the sink. "Merle it made sound like we'd just hit a small Outpost and that the rest of the Savior's are likely to seek us out for retribution."

"Did he say how many there are? Where they are? Maybe we can hit them before they find us." Carl suggested.

Abby shook her head. "He shut down after he told me that. I'd have tried smacking him around but Merle's to tough for that. Maybe he'll talk to Daryl."

"If we go outside the walls, we'll be extra careful." Carl finally promised. "I'm going to bed, are you going to wait up for dad?"

"Yeah, I should be telling him what I learned from Merle, sooner than later. Good night, kiddo." She said giving him a tight hug before he could walk off.

"Good night." Carl disappeared up the steps then, leaving Abby alone.

Abby shook her head as she thought about their conversation. Poor Carl, had grown up to quickly. He was now fifteen soon to be sixteen but sometimes it felt like she was talking to a forty something, not a teenager. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, coloring the sky in intense shades of pink, purple and blue, when she saw Rick and Michonne walking up the side walk towards the house.

"Everything okay, sis." Rick asked as he mounted the steps.

"Kids are fine, but we might have a problem." Abby said as she stood and stretched out her stiff joints.

"What kind of problem?" Daryl asked startling all three of them. "Sorry, noticed Abby wasn't home, figured she was here."

"How about we all go inside and talk?" Michonne suggested, rubbing her arms despite her jacket.

They all filed inside then sat down in the living room and the three listened to what little Abby had learnt from Merle. When she was done, Daryl shook his head.

"I knew there wasn't something right the first moment I saw his face, he's changed."

Abby rubbed his neck. "He's still concerned about you. Maybe you could use that to find out what he knows."

Daryl shook his head again. "Merle ain't stupid and for once in his life, he seems clean. His mind is clear, he'll see through that."

"You still have to try. Use your history with him. We need to know what's coming, if there really is more out there."

"We should warn Hilltop, they need to know that they're still in danger." Michonne said firmly.

"And have them take back our supplies?" Daryl asked in irritation.

"We took out that outpost like they asked and it's their fault for not being clear with whom their enemy is." Abby said.

"Either way, they're not getting them back." Rick said with equal firmness. "Abby, guide Glenn and Abraham to the base bright and early. Show them what they need to know, then get your ass back here and start working with Reg to make this place is more defensible. We should all get some shut eye, it's been a long day."

They all got to their feet and went their separate ways. As Daryl and Abby walked down the street to their townhouse, Daryl looked over at him.

"Was Merle an ass to you?"

Abby chuckled. "Surprisingly, not really. He even complimented me in an off-handed way."

Daryl grunted. "At least he's still somewhat predictable."

As they approached the townhouses, Daryl gazed off towards where Merle was being kept. "Later, babe." Abby said pulling him by the hand up the steps. "I get a feeling we won't be gettin' much sleep over the next while, so let's get it while we can."

Daryl sighed as he finally walked up the steps and followed her inside. Four hours later, Abby pulled on clean clothes and tip toed quietly out of the room while Daryl snored softly, fast asleep. After grabbing her gear and an apple, Abby opened the front only to get knuckles to rapt against her forehead. Glenn looked at her surprised, as Abby stifled a laugh and touched her forehead.

"I'm so sorry! I looked away for just a second!" Glenn apologized as Abby rubbed her rubbed her forehead and Abraham laughed his ass off.

Abby grinned as she stepped forward, closing the door gently behind her. "I'll survive. C'mon before Daryl hears us. He's got the ears of a dog." Abby led them away from the townhouse, towards the car they'd be taking to the base. "So, did Rick actually ask you if you're any good with computers or did he just tell you to meet me?"

"He did and I am, to a degree. Although I'm not sure if I should be insulted that you assumed that I'm good with computers because I'm Asian." Glenn said to her, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Abby smirked. "It's not because you're Asian but because yer such a _nerd_! Yer as much into those comic books that Carl reads as he is! I also remember you talkin' quite a bit of computer stuff with Martin, when we first met."

"Who's Martin?" Abraham asked confused.

"The name of my first husband. He basically made video games for a living…before the outbreak. He died in the first month, but he met Glenn, Daryl and Carol." Abby said as she grabbed Abraham as he reached for the driver door and shoved him towards the back. "My turn to drive."

Abraham grinned as he obediently climbed into the backseat and Glenn climbed in beside Abby as she fired up the car. "I played a lot of video games and built one computer, that doesn't make me some expert." Glenn said.

"It makes you more of an expert than anyone else we trust. I'll teach you what I know, I started writing down military short hand and slangs as I come up with them, they get used on the computers too." Abby said as she rolled out of the gate.

"Yeah, good idea. I didn't understand half the stuff you'd say to those National Guard guys." Glenn said smirking slightly.

"National Guard guys?" Abraham asked leaning forward.

"Back at the prison, shortly after we'd arrive, Daryl and I had found a unit of National Guard soldiers who'd gone AWOL. They had taken a Humvee and a couple vehicles." Abby replied.

"They even had a helicopter before they'd met us, which is kinda how we met Michonne. She saw the helicopter crash then got caught by Merle and his then boss."

"So, what's the deal with that Merle guy? Even Daryl don't seem to happy that he's here." Abraham looked between the two of them as he leaned forward then focused on Abby as Glenn stared at her.

"Merle is complicated." Abby started. "Him and Daryl have had a complicated relationship. They grew up in the same shit storm but Merle became a drug addict and a drunk then proceeded to drag his brother through the mud with him. Merle was almost as abusive of an asshole as their old man. Merle even told Daryl that he was the only one who'd ever give a damn 'bout him and for a long time, Daryl believed him.

"Don't tell Daryl I said this but T-Dog leaving Merle handcuffed to that roof, was probably the best thing that every happened to him. It gave Daryl a chance to discover who he really was not the person his brother told him to be."

"It was the best thing T did for _all_ of us." Glenn mumbled.

"Huh, Daryl doesn't seem the sort to let people dictate what to feel or think." Abraham commented.

"For the most part, he isn't but Merle had his hooks in Daryl from a young age. Merle looked out for him, made sure he got fed when he was little, took him to the hospital when things got bad…" Abby shook her head as Glenn looked at her sadly. "Daryl pretty much idolized Merle for the most of his life, thought he knew it all. When they got separated, Daryl realized the Merle had a lot of shit backwards. Then we met the Governor, Merle kidnapped Glenn and Maggie, beat the crap outta Glenn trying to get information on our where about's, then used Maggie against Glenn."

"Hence why I will eternally hate that asshole." Glenn growled.

"Before he happened into Glenn and Maggie, he'd been huntin' down Michonne like an animal. All because she left their community, Woodbury, which is why she hates him to. He very nearly killed her. When we attacked Woodbury to get Glenn and Maggie back, they managed to catch Daryl. Those twisted assholes tried to turn them on each other, make Merle kill his own brother to prove his loyalty to the Governor but Dixon's are loyal to each other, Merle's only good quality. When we got Daryl, we unfortunately got Merle too. Merle almost immediately started causin' trouble before we even made it to the car, so…Daryl left."

"Left?" Abraham asked confused.

Abby sighed, she hadn't realize that it still hurt to think about that day. "Yeah. Daryl realized that Merle wouldn't jive well with our group, so him and his brother took off on their own."

"But that barely lasted a day." Glenn said trying to defend Daryl. "Daryl realized it was a mistake pretty quickly, he kissed Abby's ass for months, even after she'd forgiven him."

Abraham grunted. "It's hard to believe that Daryl would leave you for anything."

"Too be fair, it was fairly early in our relationship and he still hadn't been entirely disillusioned with Merle. Still thought his brother was the best thing ever. What was it Daryl said in Atlanta, ' _feed him a hammer and he'd shit nails'_?"

Glenn grunted. "That sounds about right."

"Obviously Daryl came back."

Abby nodded as she made the first turn. "Yeah, with Merle. He stayed with us for a couple months, was actually getting along decently well with the others, but eventually he decided he couldn't stay. So, one day he up and left. Daryl and I tracked him down, thought he'd blown up Woodbury but he claimed someone else did it. In Heine sight, we should have taken that as a warning and looked around." Abby shook her head. "We haven't seen him since."

"So, its not exactly shocking that he'd get involved with people like the Saviors." Abraham finished.

"Nope." Abby agreed.

They rode the rest of the trip in silence. When Abby rolled up to gate, Glenn looked at her skeptically. "Hopefully everyone who sees this place looks at it like that." Abby said as she pulled off to the side, into the trees.

"We should maybe get Reg and a handful of people here, fortify this place, get that entrance within walls." Abraham suggested as they all climbed out of the car.

Abby nodded as they tried to hide the car. "Yeah that's true. We can't rely on that entrance being hidden forever. At the same time, building walls could draw attention to this place."

"You guys make it sound like a paradise." Glenn said skeptically as they moved off.

"More like a safe haven. Kinda like the prison, not pretty on the outside but offers protection. Only this place can't be taken out by a tank, or RPG's for that matter. This place is designed to withstand everything but a nuclear weapon. You'll see." Abby said grinning.

They walked to the hidden entrance, having to kill a few walkers who'd been attracted to noise of the walkers that were still within the fence. When they made it to the entrance, Glenn gaped as she hoisted the faux rock and activated the power the lock.

"This is so James Bond esk!" He said in amazement. "Awesome!"

Abby chuckled as she entered the code, then Abraham helped her lift the lid. They all climbed in, locked the hatch and made the required visit to the generators to run power to the base. Once the power had been fully activated to the whole base, Abraham let out a whistle as they walked the halls.

"Looks like a lot more with the lights are all on. Impressive."

"How long can we operate the generators at full capacity?" Glenn asked as they went.

"Three months, six at half capacity." Abby answered. "That's why Rick has us looking for more fuel and solar panels. Hopefully we'll be able get this place hooked up like Alexandria."

"Accept we'll need a larger system than Alexandria." Abraham added. "So, we need an even bigger system."

"Yeah." Abby said with sigh.

"Especially if we use those turrets you were talking about, those beasts suck power like there's no tomorrow." Abraham said with a huge grin, apparently already dreaming of using them.

Glenn looked at them surprised. "Turrets?"

Abby smiled. "This is a fully functional base…once we get it going, it was meant as a last line of defense if the US got attacked. So yeah, we could repel a full-on attack if we wanted…if we can get into the system."

Glenn frowned. "Wouldn't we need special authorization for that?"

Abby pulled the card out of her pocket and held it up. "I got that. The General of the base died here, left a coded message that only someone with a special kind of clearance could decipher."

"And you have that?" Glenn asked in amazement.

"Yes sir, and we three will be the only ones who'll know the code as to prevent anyone from getting full control of this base unless we're here. I'd try to pass my knowledge on to Rick but he's not exactly a…technologically adept."

Abraham smirked as he nodded his head in approval. "Good play, if someone gets captured only we could give the code and they couldn't possibly get it out of Abby or me and they wouldn't get it easily from you, Glenn. No offense."

"None taken, I'm tough but not Abby tough." Glenn said then stopped when they rounded the final corner and gawked at the door at then end of the hall. "Whoa, that's intense." Glenn said as he looked at he gleaming metal door with a single small window, a security camera above the door and a warning sign with a machine gun printed onto it. "So, if we enter the wrong code, we'll get torn apart by a massive machine gun?"

Abby laughed. "No, they have to be activated manually." She said as she walked up to the door, entered her own code then stepped up to the doors as they slid open. Abby stepped into the room then turned back to them. "C'mon ladies."

Abraham immediately followed, only looking mildly impressed while Glenn looked like a kid at Christmas; his eyes wide and looking everywhere.

"And you thought the front door was intense." Abraham said looking at Glenn.

"This is way better then the CDC!" Glenn exclaimed.

Abby led them down to the computer she had been using when she had been there with Rick, Michonne and Daryl, then started teaching them what she knew. She then told Glenn what she wanted him to figure out first; how create new authorization codes and remove others, how to reactivate sensors and how to reactivate the outside turrets. While Glenn started on that, Abraham and Abby went to the surface and went to work cleaning out the walkers wandering the base grounds using silenced weapons on the ones who didn't have head gear and entering the fence line to take care of the ones who did.

After relieving the walkers of their gear and returning most of it to the bases armory and loading the rest into the trunk of car, Abby left Abraham to figure things out for himself as she didn't know anything about turrets. Abby was careful driving back, hoping to not attract any attention to either Alexandria and or the base, hoping that the Saviors had yet to discover their outpost. By the time she'd reached home, it was just passed noon with the sun high in the sky, making the day moderately warm. As she drove through the gates, she was almost immediately greeted by Rick.

"So? How did it go?" He asked as he helped her unload the five assault rifles and night vision scopes for the guns they used on the watch.

Abby shrugged. "As good as a crash course on military computer systems go."

"Well its been quiet here." Rick said as he closed the door to their armory and locked the brand-new heavy-duty lock.

"They got those security measures installed on the armory?" Abby asked as they walked the short distance to her townhouse, eyeing Daryl's motorbike sitting on the street.

"Yeah, they just finished an hour ago." Rick said as they walked up the steps.

Abby dropped her gear on the floor as soon as they stepped inside, then sprawled out on the couch. "Can I get a power nap before I continue my day?"

Rick sat on the coffee table. "Sure, sis. You had barely any sleep. I'll let Reg know that you'll be by in an hour."

Abby rolled onto her back. "Speaking of Reg, it might be an idea to get him to the base. Have him take a look at the main entrance, see what he thinks it'll take to get it dug out and rebuilt and maybe building walls around the base." Abby mumbled tiredly, as exhaustion started over taking her.

Rick sighed as he nodded his head. "Yeah, making that place more fortified on the surface, will make it more livable."

"Maybe get a small crew there too." Abby suggested.

Rick stood up and picked up a blanket from the back of the couch. "I'll think about it. In the meantime, get some rest."

Abby almost immediately passed out, never feeling him drape the blanket, let alone hearing Rick leave. When she did wake again, she heard someone calling her name as they gently stroked her cheek. When Abby finally opened her eyes, she saw Daryl sitting on the couch beside her. Abby smiled as she reached up and held his hand to her face.

"Hey." She said croaked.

"Hey sleepin' beauty." Daryl said. "Rick told me that you'd be out like the dead. Said I should get you up before you sleep the week away."

Abby finally sat up. "Hardy-har. How long was I out?"

Daryl shrugged. "More than an hour. Probably more like three."

"Well that's not _too_ bad." Abby said then kissed Daryl before shooing him out of her way so she could get up. Daryl stood up and held his hand out for her to take, which she did, using him to pull her to her feet. "Let's get at it."

111

The next day, Abby had a few hours to kill so she walked down the street to where Denise was now staying with Tara. She knocked on the door and waited for the woman to answer, then smiled as she opened the door.

"Do you have time to talk?"

Denise smiled as she opened the door further. "Of course, better way late than never, right?"

Abby laughed as she followed Denise into a more private room, instead of the wide-open room she usually used to see injured patients. "It must be a little quiet for you." Abby commented. "I know you and Tara hadn't lived together all that long but still…"

Denise sat down in a chair with a sigh. "It's not the absence that bothers me, it's the worry that she may never come back."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, I get that but Tara's tough and smart. I'm ashamed to not know her as well as I should but Glenn has implicit trust in her abilities and from the few times I did work with her, she showed to be very capable."

"Daryl's incredibly capable, but does that stop you from worrying about him? Or your brother?"

Abby shook her head. "No. It's all I can do to not worry 'bout either one of them."

Denise nodded solemnly then straightened up. "So, what do you need?"

Abby shrugged as she looked around the room. "I don't know if I really know. I just thought I should come and talk."

"How has your relationship with Judith been? Have you been holding her? Looking after her?"

Abby smiled. "Yeah. I cried like a baby when I first picked her up and Daryl got a little annoyed at me for not asking him to help me through that but he can be an enabler sometimes. He hates seeing me upset or in pain."

"So you did it on your own?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah and now, I'm finally looking after her like I did…before everything. I hadn't realized how much my nephew's been worrying about me, which makes me feel like an awful aunt but now that I'm looking after Judith again, it's made him happy and relieved."

"Carl's a very smart and in some ways, a very sensitive kid. He watches you and Rick very carefully but at the same time, he seems to have a mind of his own."

Abby chuckled. "You have no idea."

"So how have you been feeling, emotionally?"

Abby thought about it for second. "Mostly, I seem to be doing okay. I'm in control of my emotions again but sometimes it'll sneak up on me, the coulda been thoughts. Thought like, I'd be showing quite a bit by now if I had been still pregnant."

"How have you been handling the news about your friend Maggie being pregnant?"

"Better than I thought. I even managed to look at their ultrasound, it made me sad but it didn't dull the happiness I have for them. Daryl on the other hand…"

"He's not handling the new well?"

"He's…" Abby drifted off as she tried to think of how to word her thoughts. "He's happy for them to and worried about Maggie but…whenever he hears Beth talking about Maggie's baby or even Carol mentioning it, he leaves. When they showed me the ultrasound, he was sighting right behind me and refused to look and he was deeply depressed for the rest of the day. I'm a little worried about him and now that Merle's shown up…he's locking down on his feeling's even more. It's basically a knee jerk reaction for Daryl to stop feeling when his brother is around."

"And he'd rather be dead then brought into here and talk with me." Denise said, shaking her head

Abby let out a sigh of frustration. "Yeah."

Denise looked towards the clinic, then back again at Abby. "I've been thinking. After I got out of DC, I just drove. I remember seeing it right before I realized I had no idea where I was going."

Abby frowned. "What did you see?"

"Edison's Apothecary and Boutique." Denise answered.

Abby quirked an eyebrow as she stared at her doubtfully. " _Apothecary_?"

"It's just this little giftshop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs."

"And your point being?"

"I was thinking; maybe tomorrow you, me and Daryl, can go check it out. You and Daryl can get the drugs while I try and get a feel on Daryl maybe try and subtly help him?"

"Daryl's pretty sharp, he might pick up on what you're trying to do and he's likely to be quick tempered right now." Abby said doubtfully. "Besides, it's dangerous out there. I don't want you risking your life to help my husband feel better. There has to be a safer way to do that."

"Rosita has been teaching me how to use a machete and Tara told me all about what to do when I'm out there. I'm ready. Besides, it isn't that far, I just want to check." Denise said looking at her pleadingly. "If there's really bad guys out there still, I'll have to learn one day."

Abby sighed. "Alright, but I'm going to have to convince Daryl, which will be a challenge. We'll leave just before lunch, meet us by the gate. I have few things I need to do first thing in the morning."

Denise smiled nervously as they both got to their feet. "Thank you."

"Make sure you at least grab a Kevlar vest from the armory, better safe then sorry." Abby suggested as she walked to the door.

Denise nodded as she escorted Abby to door. "Thanks again, I'll see you tomorrow."

111

Abby sighed as she turned her face to the side. Daryl's large body over hers as he kissed and nipped at her neck, bare hips grinding into hers.

"Daryl?" She tried to ask but the question came out a moan. "Daryl." She tried again.

"Hmm?" He replied finally realizing that she was attempting to talk to him.

She pushed against his shoulder gently so she could focus but he just moved from her neck to her lips, distracting her momentarily as she got lost in his kiss. When he started down her jaw, the fog in her lust filled brain lifted enough to remember that she was trying to ask him something.

"Daryl." She panted again as she pressed more firmly against his chest. "Just stop for a second."

"I don't want to." Daryl mumbled as he pulled her hand away. Abby pinched his ass with her free hand, eliciting a chuckle as he continued to kiss her, then with a sigh, he looked her in the eye. "What?"

"I want to go out and check this place out tomorrow." She managed to say as closed her eyes and tried block out the sensation of his naked body pressed against hers. "It's an apothecary and it might have drugs."

"And?" Daryl asked impatiently.

"And I want you to come with me." Abby continued.

"That's it? That couldn't wait until I was done or until the morning?" Daryl asked irritated.

"And Denise wants to come with." Abby continued as she tried to maintain her focus as he resumed kissing her neck.

Daryl paused then lifted his head once more. "No. You and I, okay, but she's too green."

"It's not far and she'll have to learn one day." Abby said running her fingers through his hair, drawing his face close to hers once more. "Besides, we did fine with Beth, Denise wouldn't be any worse."

She asked him intentionally in middle of their lovemaking, he was always considerably more susceptible to being persuaded into doing what she wanted him to do. She couldn't ever remember him ever holding on to his opinion for very long and tonight was no different.

"Fine, but you're in charge of babysitting her." Daryl mumbled before kissing her.

"Thank you." She said as his hand reached down in between her legs.

111

The following morning, Abby said good bye to Reg, as him and three other Alexandrian's that they trusted, drove off to join Abraham and Glenn at the base, bringing six big barrels of fuel that they had managed to fill. Rick had offered to let Maggie go with them so she could be with her husband but she wanted to stay in Alexandria and continue helping in dealing with the Hilltop since Gregory would only deal with her.

Daryl stared at her unhappily as she approached. "That's a very dirty thing to do you know?"

Abby grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. "Whatcha complainin' 'bout? I rocked your world last night."

The corners of Daryl's mouth twitched but managed to keep his frown. "Usin' sex to get what you want is dirty and unfair."

Abby smacked his ass then she turned away. "Stop worryin', it'll be fine!"

Daryl just grunted and leaned against the truck as Denise walked over. She looked between the two of them then down at the Kevlar vest she wore.

"You told me to wear this, right?" Denise asked uncertainly.

"I did." Abby said as she threw her pack into the back of the truck where Daryl had already placed one.

"You two aren't going to wear them?"

"Nope." Abby said the patted Denise's arm. "Daryl never does and it's too damn hot to wear one today."

"So, I don't have to wear one?" Denise asked confused.

"Only if you want to come with us." Abby said simply. "And sorry 'bout the ride, it's all that we could get for today. And you'll be ridin' in the middle."

Denise looked in between the two of them. "Why?"

"Trust me it's safer." Abby said then grabbed the door and indicated for her to get inside. "Trust me, Daryl would rather sit cheek to cheek with me than anyone else but it's best this way."

Once they all squeezed inside the cab of the small truck, Daryl took off down the road, following Denise's directions as she looked at the map. With every grounded gear, Abby could see that Daryl's poor shifting was bugging Denise as much as it was bothering her but Daryl was already annoyed with her using her wilds to get him to do what he didn't want to do, so she said nothing. Denise managed to say nothing for most of the ride but finally she couldn't keep it in any more.

"It's the…" Denise started then lost her nerve.

"What?" Daryl asked, actually not sounding annoyed.

"Forget it."

"No, what?' Daryl insisted.

"I think you maybe disengaging too soon." Denise said indicating the pedals at Daryl's feet.

"Yer popping the clutch, babe." Abby said staring out of the window.

"I've been driving stick since I was fifteen, usually beat up trucks like this. I mean before…you know, before I left home. My brother taught me, so I just know."

Abby looked over at her and smirked slightly. "Farm kid?"

Denise returned the smirk. "No. More like small town, in the sticks, kid."

"I was twelve when my dad taught be to drive. I got my first speeding ticket when I was fourteen, I don't know who was angrier, the sheriff or my dad."

"If Rick is anything like yer father, probably yer father." Daryl muttered.

Abby chuckled. "You forget, I was a bit of a daddy's girl. Especially when I was fourteen." Abby looked out of the windshield as they came over the crest of a hill, her original words dying on her lips. "Daryl."

Daryl squinted as he looked out the window. "Yep."

Daryl slowed the truck to a stop as they stared at the tree that had fallen across their path. Daryl put the truck in neutral and engaged the parking brake as both him and Abby looked around them suspiciously. They finally climbed out, pulling out their guns as they left Denise sitting in the truck and went to investigate the tree. Abby pulled some branches away as she heard some snarling and lo and behold, a walker reached out for her.

"This happened fast." Daryl said as he looked around. "Tree rotted out. It wasn't people."

Abby nodded as she pulled her blade from its sheath and stabbed the walker in the head. She quickly patted down the walker as Daryl wandered off to check the immediate surroundings, pulling out a bag of mini bottles of booze, making Abby smirk slightly. She turned and walked back to the truck and pulled the door open.

"Alright, Doc, we're clear." Abby said as she stepped back.

"What'd you find?" She asked as she climbed out.

"Booze, want some?" Abby offered holding up the bag.

Denise smirked slightly then shook her head. "Those were kind of my parent's thing, which is why they aren't mine."

"Fair enough." Abby said as she walked around the front of the truck and smiled as she held up the bag in front of Daryl as he pulled their packs out of the back of the truck. "Babe?"

Daryl gave her a crooked smirk. "Later." He said holding her bag out to her. "The truck isn't going to make it around that tree."

Abby shoved the bag of booze into her pack, then slid it onto her back. Abby just started to follow after Daryl when Denise called after them. Both Abby and Daryl stopped and looked back at her.

"Looks like a straight shot if we follow the tracks." Denise said indicating the train tracks.

Abby and Daryl looked at each other then Daryl shook his head. "No. No tracks, we follow the road."

Daryl turned and walked off, not waiting to see if they would follow. Abby waved at Denise to follow as she too turned to follow after him. Denise frowned but followed.

"Why no train tracks?" She asked when she'd caught up with both of them.

"The last tracks we followed, led us straight into the lair of cannibals. Not our most favorite thing to do now days." Abby explained as she reached for Daryl's arm and pulled on him, so he'd slow down.

"You do realize that just because one set of tracks led to cannibals, that doesn't mean all of them do?" Denise asked as she struggled to keep Daryl's pace.

"Logically, yeah we do but I guess it's a little too fresh." Abby said with a shrug.

"You know, if you follow your logic, you shouldn't like roads either." Denise said, stopping Daryl in his tracks as he stopped to glare at her.

Abby put her hands on Daryl's chest, as she looked up at him pleadingly, she knew Denise wasn't trying to be malicious and her comment proved that Daryl was still _very_ sensitive to the subject.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Denise apologized sincerely, surprising Abby by showing no fear of Daryl's reaction.

Daryl sighed as he relaxed. "It's fine. I'm scared of nothin', just don't wanna follow some damn tracks."

He turned and continued his march down the road, apparently wanting some space. The two women followed after him as he marched, remaining silent for a while. After a while, Denise started talking again, even still slightly out of breath.

"So how long have you known Glenn and Maggie, Daryl?" She asked as she tried to keep Daryl's pace.

Daryl looked over his shoulder at her and finally slowed down a little. "Met Glenn during the outbreak, same with Abby. Met Maggie and her family 'bout three months later. Didn't really get to know either one of them until after Maggie's family farm got overrun with walkers."

"Not entirely true, you'd started to like Glenn after that disastrous run to Atlanta." Abby said from his other side.

"You must be pretty happy for them, now that they're having a baby." Denise said trying to sound nonchalant.

Daryl suddenly looked at Abby suspiciously, who just shrugged like she had no idea what was going on then he looked back at Denise. "So long as they're happy, then so am I." Daryl mumbled. "They'll be good parents…too bad Hershel will never get to meet his grandchild."

"Is Hershel Maggie's dad?"

"Yeah. He was a good man, kinda like everyone's father. Made sure everyone's morale compass was runnin' straight." Daryl said, happy to change the subject.

"What happened to him?"

"The assholes who destroyed our last home, murdered him in front of his daughters." Daryl said angrily. "Blew the side of his head off in front of them."

"You've had a pretty rough time out here." Denise commented.

Daryl shrugged. "Shit happens, no point dwelling on it."

"And yet you can't follow a set of train tracks."

Daryl looked at her unhappily but made no comment as he continued walking down the road. It was just after midday when they walked into the parking lot of the strip mall they had been searching for. Abby's eye were constantly moving, as Daryl walked straight to the door of the apothecary and banged on it's door. He listened carefully for any signs of movement within, then slid his pack off when he was satisfied.

"Alright, me and her are going to do this." Daryl said as he pulled a crowbar out of his pack. "You're gonna stay back, you got it?"

"Yeah."

Daryl handed Denise his pack, then walked up to the door and jammed the straight end of the crowbar against the lock then pried it open. Daryl shoved the crowbar back into the bag and slid on the pack then raised his shotgun and held up his hand as Abby reached for the door. He counted down from three then, when he reached zero, she quickly pulled the door open as Daryl rushed in. Abby followed quickly on his heels but there was nothing to shoot. Denise followed them in and almost instantly gagged at the smell of decaying flesh.

"We gonna find out what you had for breakfast?" Daryl asked, eyeing her cautiously.

"Oatmeal." Denise supplied unnecessarily. "Just so you know."

Abby rubbed her arm then turned and shone her flashlight around the dark room. From what sat on the shelves, the stuff looked useless but Abby continued to look, hoping the trip hadn't been a waste of time. Daryl suddenly set his bag down and pulled out his crowbar once more and started prying at the lock of a metal shutter. Abby shined her light at the sign above the window and saw the word Pharmacy written above it.

Abby walked over to him then held her light on the spot that Daryl worked on, trying to get the crowbar under the metal shutter as Denise wandered over to a nearby turn style display. After a couple minutes of fighting with the lock, Daryl finally busted the lock and rolled the shutter open, revealing several shelves of pill bottles. He hopped up onto the countertop, taking his bag when Abby offered it to him, then swung his legs over to the other side and slid back down on to the ground.

"If you set them on the counter, I can tell you which." Denise suggested as she shined her flashlight into the small room.

"We're just gonna take them all." Abby said as she too hopped up on the counter and swung her legs into the other room.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, its fine." Abby said as she slid her pack off and dropped it onto the ground.

Abby and Daryl had both just started to fill their bags with pills when a loud thud from somewhere within the store, catching both of their attention. They both walked back to the counter and stuck their heads out so they could hear better.

"It just sounds like one." Abby said after a moment.

"It sounds like it's stuck." Daryl said then he went back to stuffing pill bottles into his bag.

Abby reached across the counter and patted Denise's arm. "You're fine, just stay in sight."

Abby turned back to the pills and also continued shoving them into her bag. They had been at it for less then five minutes when a loud crash startled both of them as they whirled around, Abby instantly raising her gun. When they saw Denise on the ground, surrounded by broken glass and looking freaked, they both relaxed.

"You okay?" Abby asked as she lowered her gun.

"Yeah." She said then turned and marched out of the building.

"C'mon, we'll finish this then go after her." Daryl said from behind her.

Abby sighed, they were almost done, so she turned back and finished stuffing pill bottles into her bag. When they were done, Daryl helped her back over the counter, then the two of them exited the building. When they stepped outside, they saw Denise sitting on the ground with her head turned away. Abby walked over to her and squatted down in front of her.

"Hey." Abby said softly as she touched her leg. "Are you okay?"

Denise wiped a tear from her cheek then finally looked at Abby. "I will be."

"You did good finding this place." Daryl said softly. "It takes time gettin' used to bein' out here."

Denise nodded her head as she got to her feet. Abby and Daryl waited for her to dust herself off then the three of them started back towards the truck. Eventually Daryl slowed his pace to walk with Denise, leaving Abby to take point. Abby had this intense urge to step back and listen to them talk but Daryl wanted to talk to her privately and she'd take anything she could get. Abby had just crossed over the tracks when Daryl called to her. When she looked back, he had started down the tracks.

"Are you sure, babe? You were pretty set against it an hour earlier." Abby asked as she started towards him.

"This way is quicker, right?" He asked walking backwards.

Denise smiled at as she shrugged, then the two women turned and followed Daryl down the tracks. Abby was walking side by side with Denise when she suddenly veered off to where several cars were parked by the tracks. Abby called for Daryl to wait up, then followed her down to the cars.

"There's a cooler." Denise said, looking back at Abby.

"It's not worth it. We got what we came for." Abby said but Denise ignored her as she walked around to the passenger side door, opposite from where the walker sat. Abby sighed as she walked around also. "Let me."

"No! I need to do this." Denise insisted. She pointed at Abby for a moment, who eventually raised her hands and stepped back.

Denise opened the door, then gingerly reached in for the cooler, only to accidently drag the walker out with it, as it reached for her. The walker landed on top of Denise, as Denise fell backwards and Abby instantly moved to help Denise but she shouted stop as she wrestled with the walker. Abby hesitated then watched as Denise managed to get on top of the walker, pulled out her knife then after a moments hesitation plunged the blade into the walker's skull. After huffing and puffing for a moment, Denise stood up, took a step forward then proceeded to vomit.

"You okay?" Abby asked.

"I puked on my glasses." Denise said then looked at Abby. "I'm good." She then walked over to the cooler and opened it. "Hot damn!"

"What the hell was that?" Daryl asked in irritation. "You know you could've died right there, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do." Denise said nodding her head.

"Are you hearing me?" Daryl asked, apparently not getting the response he'd wanted.

"Who gives a shit?" Denise said in exasperation. "You could've died killing the Saviors! Both of you! But you didn't! You wanna live you have to take chances."

"Where's this coming from?" Abby asked as she stepped towards her but she held her hands up and stepped back.

"That's how it works. That's what I did."

"For a couple of soda's?" Daryl asked in irritation.

"Nope, for one soda." Denise said holding out an orange soda, then pushed passed Daryl.

Abby trotted after her and managed to step in front of her on the track. "Honey, you okay?"

Denise chuckled. "All your friends say what nice person you are."

"Yeah, what the hell, Ab's?! You should be tearin' a strip off of her!" Daryl growled. "She almost got herself killed!"

"She's tryin' to grow as a person, that's a hard thing to do now days." Abby said with a sigh.

"You don't get what that was to me, this whole trip?" Denise asked Daryl. "I wanted you to be here because you're brave like my brother and sometimes, you even make me feel safe. I wanted Abby here because she's as tough as women come and I hoped I could learn something from her while helping both of you!"

Abby's spine suddenly tingled and she turned to look behind them, slowly raising her gun. She suddenly saw a gleam heading straight for them. Abby immediately turned and tackled Denise into Daryl sending all three of them tumbling back down towards the cars but not before Abby felt a searing in her shoulder. When she hit the ground, she heard a snap and screamed out in pain.

Daryl immediately rolled to his feet bringing his shotgun up as Denise crawled over to Abby as she painfully tried to sit up. Abby swatted Denise's worrying hands away and pulled her pistol out as several people appeared at the top of the tracks, pushing Eugene in front of them.

"Well, hell." The leader said but whatever he said after, became muffled in Abby's ears.

Abby raised her gun and pointed it at the nearest enemy but her hand refused to remain steady and they were outnumbered eleven to three…or more reasonably one since she was almost useless and Denise and Eugene _were_ useless. The man with the gun to Eugene's head, kept talking, mostly to Daryl but Abby's head was ringing so badly, she couldn't hear him. Eventually she did see Daryl lower his gun and motion her to do the same. Abby's arm practically dropped to her side, barely keeping hold of her pistol while she slowed her breathing down and tried to force herself to remain awake. She could feel it, though, oblivion tugging at her conscious as she felt blood running down her chest and back. Someone stepped forward and relieved Daryl of his gun and knife then patted down Denise and was walking towards Abby when she noticed Eugene looking over his shoulder, then say something to the leader.

Abby staggered as her vision darkened, the leader must've seen her and written her off as dead as he redirected the man to check in the direction Eugene had indicated. Abby's vision cleared long enough to see Eugene bite the leader's balls and see men at the back of the group fall. Abby immediately lifted her gun and shot the nearest man but she didn't stay conscious long enough to see him hit the ground, as her world went completely black. Part of her conscience heard Daryl call her name but she couldn't open her eyes or reply. All she could see was blackness and all she felt was cold.

111

Abby suddenly twitched, then moaned as sunlight shone directly in her eyes, hurting them. The sound of a chair squeaking beside her drew her attention, then a shadow suddenly loomed over her, blocking out the light so she could see.

"Abby?" Abby's vision cleared, then focused on Daryl's worried face. "Oh, thank God." He breathed as he bent forward and kissed her on the forehead, nearly drowning her in the stink of alcohol.

"You've drinking without me again." Abby mumbled, trying to sound whiny but her mouth barely wanted to move and her voice barely had any volume.

"Sorry, baby. I just…needed something to chill me out. You scared the shit out of me!" Daryl had tears in his eyes, something she'd never seen before, for her sake. "You…you even stopped breathing."

 _Was she that close?_ Abby tried to lift her hand but it barely moved as fire suddenly burned up her hand into her arm, making her wince.

"Don't move. Your wrist is broken and your shoulder is pretty busted up." Daryl said as he stroked her face.

"Did we kill them all?" Abby managed to ask.

Daryl sighed as he wiped his eyes and sat on the edge of her bed. "No, but we got most of them before they retreated…I think they know where we are, Alexandria."

"Daryl!" Rick's scolded as he walked into the room. "She don't need to know about that, right now."

Abby frowned. "Don't yell at him." Abby said managing to sound irritated as her body continued to wake up.

Rick came up on her other side and touched her good hand. "Sorry but you shouldn't be thinking about anything other than getting better."

Abby suddenly spotted a cotton ball tapped to Rick's arm. "Did you become a pincushion for me again?"

Rick forced a smile on to his face. "Me and Carl both. You lost a _lot_ of blood."

"I keep worryin' both of you." Abby said as she pressed her face against Daryl's hand as he rubbed her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, could you stop gettin' hurt? I'm getting old enough, I might actually have a heart attack on day." Daryl said sarcastically, managing to smirk slightly.

"Stop with that old shit, yer not that much older than me." Abby smiled at him, the effect seeming to make him relax a little.

"You gotta be gettin' better with that sass." Daryl said as he tapped her on the nose.

"I'm gonna be fine, just give me a couple days." Abby said with a smile which quickly turned to a frown as she looked around the room. "Is Denise and Eugene alright?"

"They're fine, baby girl." Rick said, bringing her attention back to him. "Eugene got a little hurt but he'll be fine. Denise, on the other hand, she saved your life."

"Then I owe her even more than I did before." Abby as she touched the side of Daryl's leg with her fingers.

"No, you don't." Denise said appearing at the foot of Abby's bed. "I'm just happy you survived. And I'm pretty sure you saved my life before I saved yours."

Abby frowned again. "What exactly happened? How did they get Eugene to begin with?"

"Abigail…" Rick started but Abby held her good hand up to silence him, then looked over at Daryl.

Daryl sighed. "Apparently Abraham had gotten bored and arrived back at Alexandria the night before. Eugene apparently had this idea and asked Abraham to escort him to this place, they got in an argument, Abraham ditched him, then Eugene tried to get back on his own and got caught by those Saviors. Abraham apparently didn't trust Eugene to get home on his own, so he followed him, then followed the Saviors to us. Abraham ambushed them from behind, givin' us enough of a chance to grab guns and fight back."

The door opened and all three turned to see who'd entered. "Rick, Daryl, Merle wants to talk with you two." Tyrese said as he suddenly appeared beside Denise, then looked in shock as he realized that she was awake. "Hey, welcome back to land of the living! You gave everyone quite the fright. I've never seen Daryl come so undone."

Daryl looked away, embarrassed. "Thanks, big guy." Abby said smiling faintly.

"Did Merle say what it is he wanted to talk to us 'bout?" Rick asked as he moved towards the door.

"Just said that it was 'bout the Saviors." Tyrese said with a shrug.

Daryl looked down at her, contemplating whether he was going to go. "You should go, babe. Merle hates Rick but if yer there, he'll be more co-operative." Abby suggested.

Daryl snorted. "Not likely." He looked over at Rick who looked at him expectantly then sighed. "S'pose I should go talk to that asshole now that yer gonna be okay." Daryl pushed hair away from her forehead, kissed her then followed Rick and Tyrese out of the door.

Denise watched the door for couple of moments then looked back at Abby. "Tyrese wasn't exaggerating, Daryl came completely unhinged. He was crying while begging me to save you, carried to the truck and refused to leave your side. Abraham drove us back while Daryl and I sat in the truck bed fighting for your life."

"Did I really get that close." Abby asked frowning.

"Yeah, I thought you were dead a couple of times and I doubt I would've been able to revive you a third time, if you hadn't gotten blood from your brother."

Abby stared at the door. "Poor Daryl. If I'd died, I don't think he'd have recovered from that. Rick, has his kids to think about, but I'm all Daryl's got."

"He has Merle." Denise reminded her but Abby shook her head.

"Technically, yes his brother is a live but Merle would only drag him down further." Abby said as she focused on Denise. "Merle is poison to Daryl's soul."

"Is he really that bad?" Denise ask, looking at her doubtfully.

"He was but I'll admit, he's had his moments of brilliance, of almost bein' kind but they're just flashes in the pan. I don't think even Merle knows why he does the things he does."

"You said they had an abusive up bringing, Merle probably never learned self-control or the difference between right and wrong."

"What about Daryl? He had it worse, yet he's such a sweet, thoughtful person, as hard as tries to pretend like he isn't. Their mother died when Daryl was seven, Merle was eighteen. When she died, Merle was in juvey and Daryl had no one to protect him from his old man from that point on."

Denise sighed. "I don't know anything about either of their parents but Daryl maybe more like his mother? And Merle is more like their father? Science doesn't have all the answers; the brain is a complicated thing. Identical twins that grow up in the exact same environment can grow up with completely different personalities and we can't explain why. Now, enough talking it's time to get some more rest."

Abby nodded, her eyes getting heavy just at the mention of sleeping.

* * *

So Abby got badly hurt, poor Daryl. I always thought that Denise's death was weird and pointless, so I thought I'd rectify that. I wouldn't say she was a favorite character or anything, it just didn't feel right to me! Anyways, 'til next time!

-Shockra


	7. Chapter 7

Welcome to Friday the 13th! I was almost halfway through my day when I realized that! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Three hours later, Daryl was helping Abby sit up when Merle suddenly wandered into the clinic. Abby looked from Merle to Daryl back to Merle, surprised to see him wandering around. Daryl sighed as he pulled the wheelchair closer and helped her get out of bed, so she could sit in it.

"Reg convinced Rick to let 'em out." Daryl muttered as he supported her.

"Well look at you, playin' nursemaid." Merle said loudly.

"She's hurt, man, and she'd my wife so yeah, I'm takin' care of her." Daryl growled, not very happy with his brother being there.

"That doctor lady seems to think that you were amazing. Super human even. Staying on your feet after bein' as hurt as you were. Even managed to kill one of those bastards while in the process of passin' out." Merle chuckled. "It figures a woman like that would catch the eye of a Dixon. Still don't get what you like 'bout my brother, though."

Daryl sighed as he helped Abby slowly sit down. "What you want, Merle?"

"To pay your pretty lady a visit! That's what family does. Thought it'd be the good brother-in-law thing to do." Merle said. "Besides, I'm not permitted to go most places. They've even made sure the guards don't let me go outside the walls, Rick told them to shoot me if I do."

"I have a tough time believing Rick would just let you go." Abby said doubtfully as Daryl grabbed a blanket and draped it over her legs.

"He goes right back into that cell for the night and he's _supposed_ to be escorted when out of his cell." Daryl said unhappily then glanced out of the window. "Speaking of which, where's Sasha? She supposed to be watching you."

"She's got no sense of humor and was cramping my style, so I gave her the slip." Merle said as nonchalant as possible as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Daryl snatched the pack from Merle's hand as he stuck the one he'd managed to pull out, in between his lips. "Where the hell you get these?" Daryl growled as he tried to grab the cigarette from Merle's mouth.

Merle stepped back as he swatted his hand away. "What's yours is mine, little brother. You should really lock yer front door, man, who knows who'll walk in there!"

"Only my asshole brother is stupid enough to go in there!" Daryl said, his temper starting to flare up. "How'd you even know which place is ours?"

"That girl told me." Merle said shrugging as he stepped outside, awkwardly striking a match with one hand.

"What girl? Sasha?" Daryl asked as he tried to calm down, pushing Abby outside behind Merle.

"No, the little one from back home. The beaters kid." Merle said as he watched Daryl wheel Abby down the ramp that Tobin had built for Abby. "I'd have thought that little girl woulda gotten more spine like her momma did, livin' out there like you did, but she's still a terrified little girl." Merle sneered.

"Her name is Sophia and stay the hell away from her!" Daryl growled, still pissed but managing to get a hold of himself. "You probably remind her of her old man, not a pleasant memory."

Merle looked at him like he was something foreign. "What wrong with you boy? Yer woman castrate you or something?"

Daryl opened his mouth to angrily respond but Abby reached behind her with her good hand and touched his arm. "Daryl's got plenty of attitude left, he just got control over himself. Running yer mouth and doing impulsive things, that'll only get you killed now days."

"Who says I do either, anymore? And the fact that you responded for him tells me that you have."

"Go blow it outta yer ass, Merle!" Daryl said angrily as he walked over to Merle and shoved him.

Merle's face darkened as he pointed in Daryl's face. "Don't start something you can't finish, boy!"

"You don't know what I'm capable of anymore, brother!" Daryl sneered, raising his voice while shoving Merle's hand out of the way and getting in Merle's face. "Gonna stomp yer ass so hard, yer gonna spit yer shriveled old balls outta yer shit smellin' mouth!"

Abby started laughing then hissed in pain then laughed some more, while holding her shoulder. Daryl stepped back from Merle and looked at her like she'd gone nuts. "I'm sorry babe, I know you're genuinely pissed with him but you both just…" Abby laughed again. "Ow."

Daryl sighed, completely calm once more as he knelt in front of her. "Quit yer brayin' then, you'll stop hurtin' yerself." He said softly, not in the least bit angry with her.

Abby took a shallow breath to settle herself, then grinned as she kissed Daryl on the forehead. Merle scoffed in disgust. "Sorry." She said.

"You lost yer back boy." Merle said shaking his head.

"No, I haven't." Daryl insisted. "If someone messes with my family, I'll beat the asshole to death with their own hand, but the world is violent enough, don't need to add to it just to entertain you."

"Do you want me lock him back up?" Rick's voice came from behind Merle. "Saw the two of you gettin' into it, I was about to break it up."

"I'm fine, Rick…" Daryl started but Merle suddenly got mad.

"You talk like these assholes are your family! _I'm_ your family!" Merle shouted.

" _They_ are my family!" Daryl said standing up and pointing in the direction of Rick while glaring at Merle. "You might be blood, Merle, but you ain't my family. Not any more. You stopped bein' that the moment you left. Family protects each, bleeds for each other and Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Beth, all of them, have put their lives on the line to protect me to protect Abby. You just ran! Like always."

"I've bled for you! I've taken beatin's for you, boy! I've stuck my neck out for you since you were in diapers. We've been through hell and back! And now I ain't good enough for you!?" Merle shouted then shoved his finger into Daryl's chest. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me!"

"What we went through growin' up, it ain't got nothin' to what these last six months have been!" Daryl growled, lowering his voice. "I'd go through that shit a thousand times if…" Daryl looked at Abby then looked away, inhaled deeply then slowly let it out. "Those people you say ain't my family, they were there. Helped me look after Abby…they were just there, were there when I need them the most and they didn't have to be. Even if I didn't say shit to them, them bein' there was enough."

"What you talkin' 'bout?" Merle said, his voice finally lowered to barely more than a whisper as he seemed to read Daryl's sudden shift of mood, no longer shouting but eyeing Daryl suspiciously.

"It don't matter." Daryl growled, suddenly getting mad again. "You weren't there! You were too busy lookin' after number one, like always! And killin' innocent people for your own amusement. Maybe if you were…maybe…"

Daryl spun on his heels, marched behind Abby's wheelchair then pushed her away from Merle as Merle just watched Daryl as he wheeled Abby away. Once they were far enough away from Merle, Abby tipped her head back, so she could see Daryl's face.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked worriedly, that was the closest Daryl had come to saying anything to anyone about the loss of their baby.

"I've had better morning's." Daryl mumbled as he kept his eyes straight ahead. "I'm sorry I said that in front of you, that I said it at all."

They were rolling by the small lake, on their way to their townhouse, when Abby grabbed hold of her tire with her good hand, making her turn but Daryl stopped immediately.

"You need to stop that!" Abby said firmly, pointing her finger at him. "Stop keepin' your feelings in. Stop thinking of what you didn't do or could've done and most of all, you need to stop blaming yourself! Our baby didn't die because of what you didn't do or should've done! It died because there are terrible people out there who attacked me. No body could've guess what was going to happen and it could've happened to anyone."

Daryl looked morosely at the ground. "I shoulda been watchin' you more closely, gone with you or walked Jack myself. You shouldn't have been out there by yourself."

"I'm a grown woman, Daryl. A very independent woman, who don't like relyin' on people. It was my decision to go outside and when I saw that car, I shouldn't have just stepped off of the road, I shoulda damn well ran back to the church! You wanna blame somebody for what happen, you blame me."

Daryl shook his head as he squatted down in front of her. "I ain't blamin' no one other then the assholes who hit you. I just…wish things had been different. If that hadn't happened to you, we'd be gettin' ready to have a baby not for war. When we found everyone again, I started thinking…planning. I even had a couple names I liked. I could see it. You holdin' our baby, I swear I could almost see his face and you were so happy. _We_ were so happy."

Abby stroked his face gently. "We can still have that Daryl. A baby. Maybe not _that_ baby but we can still have one. You can still use those names."

Daryl slumped forward, resting his head on her good shoulder. "I don't think I could survive losin' you. You're everything to me."

"And you're everything to me too." Abby said resting her broken arm on his back and rubbing his neck with her good hand.

111

Abby laid on her back, her head turned as she stared at Daryl sleeping beside her, pain preventing her from sleeping. She was worried about him. She'd hoped that since he'd finally expressed his feelings about what happened to their unborn baby, that maybe he'd start healing but, in the week since she'd gotten hurt, he only seemed to be getting angrier and more withdrawn. At first, she'd thought it was because of Merle's presence, and maybe it still could be, but Merle had chilled out again, seeming to try to fit in and mostly get along with his brother.

Merle had overheard them in the park but had waited for Daryl to leave her to talk to her. He knew his brother more than Abby gave him credit for, realizing that trying to ask Daryl about what had happened, would only end with Daryl getting angry and quite possibly attacking Merle. Merle was fine with that, said that Daryl needed to get it out of his system, but Merle wanted to stay in Alexandria and getting in a fist fight with his brother wouldn't help that. He claimed that he hated the Savior's and had only stayed with them for survival reasons. Abby had been honest with him, telling him everything since he'd left and told him about her miscarriage. When she got to that part, Merle looked very sad and almost like he was in pain as he listened. When she finished telling the story, he said to her;

"That's not somethin' you shoulda gone through, it's gotta be the worse feelin' a person goes through. Daryl, I'll admit, that boys tough but if he didn't have you to look after, I don't know if he coulda handled that."

Abby was surprised with the amount of sympathy and compassion Merle showed her. In the past, he'd been lukewarm to her at best, not believing that she had any real feelings for his brother but now, she was one of the few people Merle seemed to like. Like Daryl he seemed a little softer when it was just her around but went back to being his typical loud and obnoxious self when any one else was near.

111

The following morning, Daryl helped Abby get out of bed the into her wheelchair. Abby had to beg and plead with both Denise and Daryl to let her out of the clinic, so she could sleep in her own bed, she hated staying there. After a lengthy discussion on the second day, Denise had finally agreed it was okay so long as Daryl kept a close eye on her, which wouldn't be a problem.

So, after they'd eaten their breakfast, he'd carry first her chair then Abby, outside. Instead of wheeling around the community, like he'd done in the past couple of days, they just stayed outside of their townhouse and Abby watched Daryl as he worked on his bike, while he glared moodily at it as he tightened a bolt, saying nothing to her. Beth eventually appeared, putting a hand on Abby's shoulder as she watched Daryl work. Jack must have been following Beth but instead of stopping, he trotted past the two women and sat down beside Daryl, giving him a sad puppy stare with his one good eye. Daryl sighed as he reached over and scratched Jack's head.

"Wanna go huntin' boy?" Daryl asked him to which Jack responded by wagging his tail and opening his mouth to let his tongue loll out as he panted.

"He probably needs the exercising, sleeping with Sophia every night and sleeping around all day. He's getting fat." Beth said, trying to sound chipper but she eyed Daryl carefully.

Daryl looked over his shoulder at the two women. "Beth, why don't you take Abby over to the horse? That always makes her day."

"Why don't you come with us?" Abby asked.

Daryl shook his head. "Naw. When I'm done this, I'm gonna work on my crossbow. That Dwight asshole abused it." Daryl had told on the second day, while she still laid in the bed at the clinic about how he had gotten his crossbow back and what had happened after she'd passed out.

"Alright." Abby agreed reluctantly.

"But don't be out there too long, you should lie down again in a couple hours."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yes, dear."

Beth grabbed hold of the push bars of Abby's chair then pushed her down the sidewalk to the opposite side of the community where they kept the horse, Libby. Once they were out of earshot Beth bent closer to Abby.

"Is Daryl okay? He seems off."

Abby sighed as she gingerly rubbed the undamaged flesh around her wound. "He's been weird since I got hurt. I don't know if its because I got hurt, the talk we had afterwards or if it's Merle. He's completely shut down."

"Talk?" Beth asked, sounding concerned.

"I finally got him to talk 'bout my miscarriage. I didn't even bring it up originally, he did."

"I've tried talking to him, you know, 'bout all that but he'd just gets angry. Tells me to mind my own business." Beth said as she carefully moved from sidewalk to street.

"Not exactly shocking." Abby said tiredly.

"I thought that maybe, after what he shared with me back at the moonshine shack, that maybe he trusted me enough to talk with me."

"It's not a trust thing, Beth. At least, not entirely."

"You're 'bout the only one he'll talk to when things trouble him, but with what happened, I knew he wouldn't want to talk 'bout that with you. I know he's close with Rick too, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't share his feelings with him."

"Daryl equates feelings with weakness, so admitting that losing what we did, hurt him as deeply as it did, is like admitting that he's weak and he's terrified of being weak. Don't take is personally."

Beth sighed. "I know."

They didn't speak again until they reached the end of the street, then Beth helped Abby to her feet then they slowly walked to the corral that had been built for her horse. Abby leaned heavily against the fence boards, annoyed with herself at how tired she felt from her short walk. Being injured supremely sucked.

"Why aren't you hanging out with other teenagers?" Abby asked as she watched Libby graze and tried to slow her breathing down.

Beth shrugged. "Most of them are younger than me and I can't seem to make any attachments with any of them. Which is weird since I've always had a lot of friends."

Abby rested her head on her good arm as she looked at Beth. "Things have changed, you have changed. Probably spent too much time with Daryl and I."

Beth smiled slightly. "That's probably it."

Beth climbed over the fence, brush in hand, then walked over to Libby who nickered softly as she approached. Abby watched as Beth brushed her down then moved on to picking the mud and rock out of her hooves, suddenly reminding Abby of Hershel. She had finished picking two of her feet when the sound of Daryl's motorbike echoed across the community. Abby frowned as she turned around to look but she couldn't see him anywhere as the sound faded off. Shortly after the sound had faded away, Maggie came trotting towards them, looking concerned.

"Did Daryl tell you he was going anywhere today?" Maggie asked as she got within earshot.

Abby frowned. "No, he said he was goin' to work on his crossbow. He asked Jack if he wanted to go huntin' but I didn't get the impression he was plannin' on actually goin'! Especially when we're all supposed to stayin' inside, preparin' for an attack."

"Oh, he's goin' huntin' alright, just not for a deer." Merle said as he moseyed over to them. "He's huntin' Dwight, the asshole who shot you. He's been stewin' on the whole thing since you and him, got back."

Abby frowned. "He's barely said ten words to me since he blew up at you."

"That boys got it bad for you, girl." Merle said with a shit eating grin. "He don't want you knowin' the black thoughts goin' through his head but me, I get that side of Daryl better than any of you and he knows it. Dwight nearly took something important to him, he plans on makin' that boy pay."

Abby's face darkened. "And you told him where to find him."

Merle shook his head. "I did not. I'm not gonna let my little brother get himself killed and him goin' to Sanctuary would do just that."

"Then where's he goin' then?" Abby asked.

"My guess? Where he last saw them. I know yer well aware of this but that boys got mad tracking skills, better than me."

"Tyrese, Michonne and Rosita went after him." Maggie said.

Abby touched her shoulder gingerly and shook her head. "It should be me goin' after him."

Maggie touched her good shoulder gently. "Don't worry, they'll get him back safely. Why don't you go lie down and rest? By the time you get up, they'll have dragged in cranky butt back here."

Abby sighed, she could definitely sleep. "Fine."

"I'll help you." Beth said as she started climbing back over the fence.

Merle snickered. "You think yer scrawny ass can help her?" Merle said then surprised everyone by scooping Abby up and carrying her to where her chair still sat by the curb and gently setting her down into it.

"What now Captain Hook? You just have one hand! You can't push me." Abby said smirking back at Merle.

"I can do that, and I could've helped her just fine." Beth said indignantly.

"She is tougher than she looks, Merle. Give Beth some credit. And I'm not a complete invalid, I can still walk, I just get tried easily."

Merle smirked. "You're welcome. You should talk to your brother, get him to let me outside the walls, then I can go get my brother. Get back him here so he can look after his pretty wife."

"Tyrese, Michonne and Rosita can handle him." Abby said tiredly. "Besides, I might be warming up to you, but I still don't trust you."

"Oh, that hurts, sugar." Merle said feigning being stabbed in the heart. "Unlike my little brother, family still means something to me, and since yer married to Darylina that makes you family."

"Family means everything to Daryl!" Beth said defensively. "You just lost the right to be called that! I mean what kind of brother tries to pull his younger brother into drugs and alcohol, _intentionally_!"

"Beth." Abby gently warned.

Merle instantly went from playful to pissed but he still kept a smile on his face, which Abby had learned from past experience, is his most volatile mood. "Don't pretend you know what our lives have been like, Miss priss. Growing up in yer big old fancy house with yer churchy daddy and perfect family, you have no idea what it's like to be me."

"I have an idea." Beth said, getting a stiff upper lip.

Abby reached over her shoulder and put her hand on Beth's arm as she shook her head. "Honey, I don't think you do. Even I don't. Daryl may have shared a few personal things with you but to actually be there and live through that, only they can understand it." Abby looked from Beth to Merle. "And you don't get to look down on her because she had a good family, which by the way is mostly gone. All she got is Maggie now, as far as blood goes, and while she don't understand what it was like to grow up as you did, she knows what it's like to survive. She's more than earned her keep since the outbreak."

"I'm sorry Abby. I shouldn't be arguing. Let's get you back to bed." Beth touched her shoulder then grabbed the push bars and headed for Abby's townhouse as Merle continued to glare at Beth.

111

Abby woke to someone gently shaking her awake. When she opened her eyes, she was a little surprised to see both Denise and Enid in her room.

"Where's Daryl?" Abby mumbled as she sat up, Daryl's vest sliding from her shoulder. "And where did his vest come from?"

"We don't know, him and those who went with him, haven't come back." Denise looked at her, looking very worried.

"Neither have the others. I'm really worried about Maggie." Enid said staring out the window.

Abby looked in confusion from Daryl's vest to the Denise. "Others?"

"All of your friends, they're gone." Enid answered before Denise could. "Carol and Sophia just disappeared, and Rick went to go look for them, but he couldn't find them. Then, just after he got back, something went wrong with Maggie's baby. Everyone went with her to Hilltop."

Abby looked at Denise again, panicked. "What's wrong with Maggie's baby?" Abby asked, her voice sounding high pitched.

Denise grabbed both of Abby's arms. "Deep breath, Abby. I don't know what's wrong but they're taking her to see Hilltop's doctor, since that's his thing. They'll take good care of her, they can still save her and the baby both."

"I tried to go with them, but Carl locked me in a closet." Enid groused, apparently not noticing Abby's present state of trying to not have a panic attack.

"Carl went with? And he locked you in a closet?" Abby didn't know whether she should descend into a full-blown panic attack or laugh. "What time is it?"

"Just past midnight, Reg wants to talk to you. He's worried we'll be attacked during the night and you and Merle are the only real fighters left here." Denise said as she stood up.

"What happened to Abraham? Did he go with everyone too?"

"No, he snuck out the last night so that if anybody was watching, they wouldn't see him. Although nobody seems to know where." Denise frowned as she helped Abby out of bed.

"Speaking of, where has Abraham, Glenn and those other four people, gone?" Enid asked as she came onto Abby's good side.

"Somewhere safe and if you want to stay that way, I'd suggest that you don't think about it any further." Abby said as she winced as she tried to get out of bed.

Enid looked at her cautiously. "Why? What are you going to do?"

Abby rolled her eyes as she finally got to her feet. "It's not what _I'm_ going to do. Have you ever heard the saying _knowledge is power_?" Enid nodded her head. "Well knowledge can also make you a target too. With the Saviors still out there, the less you know, the less likely they'll try and hurt you."

"But you know a lot, so wouldn't they try to hurt you then?" Enid asked as they started for the stairs.

"That's the point honey. I'll take it all to protect other people and I've been trained to resist interrogation. Neither me nor Abraham would ever break, no matter what they did to us."

"Let's hope it never gets to that." Denise said as they reached the bottom step. "Enid, why don't you carry the wheelchair outside and I'll help Abby out the front door."

Once they managed the arduous task of getting Abby outside, they pushed Abby down the street to Reg's house. When they reached the house, Denise knocked on the door then helped Abby onto her feet. Reg answered the door with a worried look on his face.

"Thank you, ladies, I'll get Spencer to help her back home when we're done. Enid, you should get back to your post with Hope." Reg said as he took Abby's hand and guided her inside.

Once inside, he guided her to the living room. There Spencer sat sipping his drink, a rifle propped up beside him. He nodded his head to her as Reg guided her to the sofa chair and helped her sit down.

"So, what's going on?" Abby asked once she'd taken a seat.

"I'm worried that we're about to be attacked. Rick said that Carol had encountered several Savior's when she was leaving. She killed them all, but they were uncomfortably close to home. He never managed to find Carol, but Morgan is still out there searching. Now the rest of you friends are out their, also, and we haven't received word that they'd arrived. I'm concerned."

"Have you been using those night vision goggles I brought back?" Abby asked.

"Yes, and they haven't spotted anything the last couple of nights. Has Merle said anything more?"

Abby sighed. "I haven't exactly been in the loop on that but from what he told me from before, the Savior's deploy a lot of guerilla tactics."

"Which means?"

"Which means, they like to ambush and if they have the numbers, they like to use extreme violence." Abby rubbed her shoulder. "It's unlikely that they'll attack our walls, they'll wait for us to leave and then they'll attack, maybe use hostages to take control of this place."

"They'll blackmail us to get control?" Spencer asked doubtfully.

Abby nodded. "Denise told me that they had intended on using Eugene as their damsel and were going to force Daryl and her to get the gates open for them."

"So, what do we do?" Reg asked looking at her desperately.

"There's nothing we can do really. I mean, we could get extra guards on the walls but there's only so many of us and if we're all on the wall and they decide to attack us midday? We'll be tired, and we'll be at a disadvantaged. It's better to have our normal guard and let everybody get their rest for when or _if_ they attack."

"That's it?" Spencer asked in disbelief. "Rick was blowing his horn about how great of a tactician his little sister is and that's all you got?"

"Gee, sorry, I left my crystal ball in my other caste." Abby growled. "I know dick all 'bout these people. I don't know their numbers, their resources, their world view." Spencer rolled his eyes. "Hey, knowin' how people see the world, knowing what they believe in, helps you predict what they'll do. I'm used to knowing where my enemy have fortified themselves, or at least the general area, and having satellites to give me general intel on their base or troop position. It's information that wins wars, not guesses and right now, we have nothing _but_ guesses."

"I'm sorry, Abby." Reg said. "Spencer is just stressed out, we're not used to all of this. Maybe, once Rick gets back, we should set up a spy network or scouts or something. Get that information you were talking about."

Abby sighed and nodded her head. "That'd be…helpful if we can get people who know how to blend into their environment, see but not be seen. They'd have to know how to survive off of the land, so they don't need to come home every night."

"Merle would be a good start, wouldn't he? I mean he's Daryl's brother, he said he taught Daryl everything he knows."

Abby shook her head. "Not everything and on paper, that might be a good idea. I just don't know how much I trust him. Merle definitely knows how to survive but he might just run back to the Savior's or back to Georgia."

"Back to Georgia?" Reg asked surprised.

"He said that if we hadn't captured him when we did, he'd have eventually snuck away and ran back home. Georgia's familiar, him and Daryl have been living off the land their whole lives, those boys don't need processed food or guns to live. They could live like cavemen and be happy."

"Daryl definitely doesn't seem to comfortable here." Reg noted.

"It takes getting used to, even if you'd lived in the suburbs before. Living out there, surviving on nothing, constantly running for your life, you practically get whiplash when you walk through that gate."

"I guess I can see that." Reg said as he stood up. "You should rest, we need to get you healthy as quick as possible."

As promised, Reg got Spencer to escort her back to the townhouse. Instead of going back to sleep, Abby painfully carried a barstool with a back rest, up to their room, then to the balcony. She then brought her rifle out, then popped the stand out so she didn't have hold it, before sitting down to watch the horizon. She felt nervous. Ever since Daryl had up and left without a word, heck even before that, something didn't feel right and now the feeling was even worse. It reminded her of the unsettled feeling she had in the weeks before the prison had been attacked, and with the Savior's looming nearby, the same fate almost seemed imminent for this place.

Abby sat there for hours, even well after the sun hand risen, she sat there. It wasn't until just past midday, the RV suddenly appeared on the horizon. Abby thought that the view of that vehicle should bring her relief, but it didn't. Abby got up, then made her way downstairs. At one point, Enid had shown up and when Abby refused to move from her spot, she'd brought Abby some food and a bottle of water then came back every few hours to check on her. Denise had also come to check on her, tried very hard to get her to lay down, even tried to order her but Abby ignored her. Her body was screaming in pain but her worry for her family, won out over her pain.

Once outside her townhouse, she walked to the gate as fast as her weak body would allow, then waited for them to arrive. When they did roll into town, she followed the RV until it came to a stop outside of Rick's house. It took an unsettling amount of time for the first person to step out and when they did, Abby's level of anxiety skyrocketed. Michonne was the first to step out and she averted her eyes away from Abby and looked very emotional as she walked off without a word. Then came Rosita, who quickly glanced up at her with guilt in her eyes before turning away, also without a word.

Then came Carl who looked like he was on the verge of crying as he walked straight towards her and hugged her while Rick was hot on his heels but stopped short of hugging her. She only partly noticed Eugene disembark but her focus was fully on Rick was he touched her face.

"How's Maggie?" Abby croaked, dreading the answer.

"She's going to be fine, same with her baby. Doctor Carson wanted to keep an eye on her, so we left her there along with Beth and Sasha." Rick said, his eyes starting to get watery. "We ran into the Savior's." Rick voice broke as he suddenly grabbed Carl's shoulder and looked down.

"What happened?" Abby asked as she tried to choke down her anxiety. Rick was really worked up and that scared Abby like nothing ever could. "Where's Tyrese? Where's _Daryl_?"

"They surrounded us, we tried to escape but we…we couldn't." Rick continued.

"Where's _Daryl_!?" Abby asked, her panic rising.

"They said we had to pay. They killed Tyrese and then Aaron." Rick said getting more and more worked. "They were going to make me cut Carl's…" Rick choked on his words as he put his hands on his face, tears now streaming down his face. "They took Daryl, they said to make sure we behave, so that we do what we're told…"

Abby nearly fainted then, first from relief then renewed panic. But that feeling quickly vanished, replaced by a hot, burning rage. "I'm going to kill everyone of those assholes!" Abby seethed.

Rick quickly grabbed her shoulders. "No! You're not! We're gonna do what they say and then Daryl will live."

Abby swatted Rick's hands off her shoulders, her injury forgotten, Carl finally letting go of her and stepping back while eyeing both of them carefully. "Like hell I will! They might plan on keeping him a live, but do you know what those assholes are going to do in the meantime? They gonna torture him, make him pay for each and everyone of their people that we killed. I will not let that happen, I will not abandon him!"

"What about _us_ , Abigail? If you attack them, they'll attack us!" Rick replied now getting angry. "They outnumber us, probably five to one, if not more!"

"I'm not stupid Rick! I know what I'm doing and unless you went on about your highly trained sister, they won't know it was me!"

"No. You are _not_ doing this." Rick said firmly, grabbing her shoulders as Carl looked uncertainly between the two of them.

"What're gonna do? Lock me up?" Abby asked, then tried to reef her body out of his grip but she only hissed in pain at the motion.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm gonna do, until you grow a brain." Rick said angrily as he swiftly pulled out his handcuffs and put one on her wrist in one smooth motion.

Abby started thrashing violently but she was weak, and her brother was strong, and he knew what she'd do. Carl begged his father to stop, but after a bit of a scuffle, he successfully got the handcuffs on her and pulled her back to her feet. Tears were rolling down Abby's face when she looked at her brother angrily, both in pain from her injury and the betrayal she felt from her brother. She spat in Rick's face when two men grabbed her arms uncertainly and led her off, Abby fighting for only part of the way as her body gave out on her. Instead of leading her off to their new cell, that Merle resided in at night, they brought her to her townhouse and locked her in her own bedroom.

Rick had made a quick search of her room, taking all her guns and weapons and anything he thought she might use to escape. Once he'd completed the searched, he stopped at the door and looked back at her with a look of extreme guilt.

"I'm sorry, baby girl, I know you hate me right now, but this is for the best." Rick said, tears in his eyes once more.

"Screw you!" Abby screamed with all the venom that now coursed through her veins as she reached for one of the bedside lamps and threw it as hard as she could at him.

Rick managed to dodge the lamp then looked back at her in surprise. "Abigail, I…" Rick started as he stepped forward.

"Get out!" Abby screamed again, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I hate you! I wish you never left that hospital!"

"Abigail…"

"GET OUT!"

Abby truly didn't mean it, but, in that moment, she didn't care. She'd lost so much over the years first friends in the war, then her first husband, her sister-in-law, more friends, so many more friends, then her baby and now he was just expecting for her to wait and see if they'd let her present husband, the man she was madly in love with, live. She rather die then let the Savior's keep Daryl.

111

Denise showed up a couple hours later to check on her wound. She stepped in cautiously, probably expecting to see a pacing tiger or potentially have something thrown at her head but only found a lethargic shell of a woman. Abby didn't reply to any of Denise's question's as she entered the room, then didn't make any move to help or hinder her as Denise cleaned her wound. Abby just sat on the ground with her back to the wall as she stared out the window towards the horizon. Carl came in a short while later and she looked at him, but she had no expression. When he lowered his face to better look at hers, she stroked his face lovingly and said, "I'm fine" then resumed looking out the window.

When darkness fell, Abby finally left her seat and quietly went about the room, dressing in her fatigues but instead of donning her Kevlar vest, she put on Daryl's vest. Rick had gone through her go bag very thoroughly but he hadn't taken out any of the clothes or provisions she had in there, just weapons and her rope. Once she'd stuffed her sniper camo inside the bag and Kevlar vest to the outside, she slung her pack onto her back and went to the window. It was now pitch-black outside with no moon looming overhead, making it a perfect night to escape from anything. Lucky for her, she was only four doors down from the armory and she fully intended on getting her weapons back.

She quietly opened the door to the balcony and peered down below. There was someone standing there watching her front door, they probably had someone watching her bedroom door too. She carefully climbed onto the roof then made her way to the end, where the armory and pantry stood. Instead of going for the front door or the window to the armory, she climbed down where to the garage door was located and climbed down. She lifted the door only enough for her to slip inside then picked the lock on the door that led inside. Just like her door, there was a guard posted to the front of the armory, but Rick had unwisely left the inside unprotected.

Once she'd picked the lock for the armory, she wasted no time in gathering her pistol, an assault rifle, her knife and her sniper rifle which she disassembled and put in her pack. She was just about to leave the way she came, when she heard careful footsteps coming from where she'd come so, she instead headed up the steps and climbed out the first window she came across. Sure enough, when she looked outside, she saw Michonne standing by the back door with Rosita looking around.

They hadn't seen her go in, but they'd predicted that she might try something, and they were right, but they were neither fast enough nor smart enough to get her. Abby's body ached, and screamed for rest but she didn't care, she wouldn't rest until she found her husband.

Abby carefully surveyed the area with the night vision scope she'd taken off of her rifle, then climbed down and headed in the direction they would never think she'd go, the corral. The horse nickered softly as she approached, then nuzzled into her as she carried the saddle Rick had found while scavenging, over to her. Abby nearly passed out from the pain when she swung the saddle onto Libby's back but managed to get it up there. After several long minutes of breathing, she settled the pain down enough to finish saddling the horse. She then quietly guided the horse out of the corral towards the secondary gate. There were two guards standing there but they were very green. They nodded their heads as she approached.

"Where are going? I don't think Rick wants anyone to leave." Tim said uncertainly.

"Everyone but me. It's a need to know type of thing but you go tell Rick I'm leaving, I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Abby said, guessing he hadn't heard what had happened this afternoon. Tim looked towards the gate then towards Rick's house. "Don't worry, I'll let myself out and your partner up their can keep an eye out. It's not going to take long."

Finally, Tim nodded and started towards Rick's house as Abby pulled the latch. _Oh, to be young and naïve_ , Abby thought. Hopefully Rick would tear a piece from him, what he did was incredibly dangerous and stupid on so many levels. The other man came down as she walked through the gate, then closed it behind her.

She immediately mounted the horse and trotted down the road until she came to a dirt road and turned out of sight of the gate. She put her heels to Libby's side and gritted her teeth as the horse took off. The bouncing of the horse's gate jarred her wound, but she needed to get as far away from Alexandria as quickly as possible. Once Rick knew she was gone, he climbed into a car and go after her, probably knowing where she was going. The same place as Daryl had gone.

When she couldn't take the bouncing anymore, she slowed Libby to a walk. She looked up at the perfectly clear night sky, to get her bearings then steered the horse into the bush. Thankfully, the brush wasn't particularly thick here, so she could see quite far ahead as her vision adjusted to the darkness and Libby carefully picked her way through. Cutting through the bush was much quicker, considering a horse could not out run a car but a horse could take short cuts that not even a motorcycle could take.

By the time Abby had reached the train tracks, the sun had started to peek over the horizon. When she found the cars that had attracted Denise's attention, she slid off of the horse and stretched her legs. After she began to look around, it didn't take long for Abby to locate Daryl's motorcycle hidden beneath a pile of branches. From there, she found his tracks which headed off into the brush and followed them. She followed them for ten minutes then found the point where Michonne, Tyrese and Rosita had found him then followed his tracks as he set off with only one other person, either Michonne or Rosita, judging from the size.

Daryl had followed the tracks to a dirt road but instead of continuing forward, they backtracked then veered off in another direction. Abby followed those tracks until he stopped and both him and his companion knelt down. There was also blood there, right where Daryl had knelt and now that the sun was up, she could see where the bullet had hit the ground, passing through him. Abby bit her lip as she looked at the blood, Rick hadn't told her that he'd been injured. That wasn't surprising though, in his head he was protecting her by not telling her and he probably assumed they would both be healed by the time the Savior's let Daryl go.

There were at least ten different tracks, in the clearing that Daryl had stopped to observe, and it took Abby a little time to figure out which direction they had eventually gone. Abby was no longer sure if she was following Daryl's tracks, but a large group had moved back to the dirt road she'd found earlier and when she looked more closely, she found at least two set of tire tracks, one of which was from a particularly large vehicle with unique treads. This gave Abby some hope that she might still find them, even though the track led to a paved road. Abby was about to mount up again, when a pitiful whine caught Abby's attention. When she turned, she saw Jack limping out from the bush, heading straight towards her. Abby immediately trotted over to him and picked him up.

"I'm sorry, buddy." Abby said sadly. "I didn't even know you'd been here."

She inspected his wound, he'd technically been shot in the head, but the bullet had grazed the side of his head and gone through his ear. His front leg was also broken, it looked like it'd been stomped on and when she opened his mouth, he was miss one of his canines. Abby slid her pack off and pulled out her first aid kit, most people wouldn't waste their supplies on a dog, but Jack wasn't just a dog to her. She cleaned his wound, then held him down as she set his leg. He yipped in pain then lay still as she made a splint and wrapped his leg. Once she was done attending to Jack's wound's, she took a couple deep breathes then hoisted Jack onto the horse. Then swung herself up into the saddle, after her pain had settled down to an annoying throb and turned to follow the road in the direction the vehicles had turned, staying in the shadow of the trees.

Abby followed the road for an hour, checking side roads for signs of the vehicles turning off but if they did, she saw nothing indicating that they had. Abby sighed in frustration, she was a day behind the people who had taken Daryl, so most of their tire tracks could be blown away or covered by other vehicles. She was exhausted, and her body was starting to seize up on her and Jack needed a proper place to lay, so she decided to find a place to hole up in and get some rest. She'd resume her search in a few hours.

* * *

Dun, dun, dun! To be continued XD

-Shockra


	8. Chapter 8

Yay for new chapters! I'm catching up to then end of my pre-written chapters alarmingly fast...I should really get my ass in gear. I'm kinda at a point where I think I'll depart from the show. Partly because I didn't like some of the decisions they made and partly because I want a happier ending since I don't intend to continue after Season 8...at this point. Anyways, that's kinda slowing me down, I tend to over think things a little.

* * *

For the first time is six days, Abby almost got excited as she stared at the building in front of her but then realization of what was ahead, hit her. She had started to wonder if she was going to find it on her own, but she did it, she found the Saviors compound. She found Sanctuary. It looked like some sort of huge factory, completely enclosed in a chain link fence; it almost reminded Abby of a smaller but taller version of the prison. From the vantage point she'd found, she could see about half of the compound. On one side, a fire escape wound up all six stories of the building and along the west side of the building, a garden grew with about six men and women tending too it.

As she watched, she noticed two distinct type of people; those with guns who walked around with their chests puffed out and those without, who ducked their heads and tried to avoid being noticed. This place was like watching a town in an oppressed third world country, all over again. The soldiers abused their workers mercilessly, taking what they wanted and beating the crap out of those who even showed a thought of resisting. This place needed to be purged, not destroyed. Originally, she had the thought of gathering up her husband, setting her C4 on the important structural supports then, when they'd gotten outside, she'd blow it to shit.

Abby was broken away from her thoughts as she nearly choked on her own breath when she saw him, Daryl being shoved forward by a man with a burnt face. Abby zoomed in first on Daryl's face, noting the bruises but she could see the spirit still in his eyes, though it was flickering. She then zoomed in on his guard, from his features, she guessed that it was the man who'd stolen the bike from Daryl and his crossbow, which he now held in his grasp. Abby nearly pulled the trigger right then, but it'd give her location away and it wouldn't help Daryl at all.

Abby had to take a deep breath and let it out slowly as she watched the man shove Daryl back towards the building, her heart sinking. Abby lowered her rifle and shook her head as they disappeared inside, at least she knew he was here and alive. She just needed to get closer, and then hopefully she could get inside. Abby walked down the steps of the catwalk she'd been standing on with Jack trotting awkwardly behind her, to the main floor where her horse, Libby, waited. Abby pulled off her tack, then lead her outside into the forest.

"Sorry sweetie, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get outta there and even if I do, I don't know if I'll be able to come get you. Yer better off on yer own from here on out, maybe you can make it back to Alexandria or accidently find your way to the Hilltop. Beth and Maggie are there, they'd be happy to see you." Abby crooned as she gently petted the side of her face.

Abby pointed her nose in the direction of Alexandria and released her, but Libby just looked back at her like she was crazy. Abby sighed as she shook her head, the horse knew that people took care of her and she was particularly fond of Abby and Abby was fond of her, but she was doing what was best for Libby. So, she smacked the horse hard on the rump and she took off. When she was gone Abby looked down at Jack.

"Now, what do I do about you?" To which Jack responded with sitting down directly beside her and leaning against her as he looked up at her with his good eye. "Fine, you don't have to leave but you can't come with me inside. They might eat dog for lunch."

Abby walked as near to the main road that lead to the factory, as she dared, then dug a shallow hole. She put her bag down, pulled out several pieces of deer jerky and gave them to Jack then poured some water into a cup for him. While he drank the water, Abby pulled out some food for herself, her almost full bottle of water and her sniper camo before shoving her assault rifle into her pack then her pack into the hole and buried it.

Abby pointed to the spot, "Stay!" She said to Jack firmly. "I'll come back for you, but I have to get Daryl first, okay?"

Jack whined but lied obediently on the spot she pointed to. Abby pulled on her camo, gave Jack one last look then quietly walked towards the Sanctuary. When she made it to the edge of the forest, she got down on her belly and slowly crawled forward. Her shoulder still hurt her, but the pain was now well within tolerable levels, still she had to use her left arm to support her weight as she went. Abby parked herself behind a small shrub, just shy of the concrete, then got herself settled into to watch for the rest of the day.

People came and went, none taking even the slightest notice of her. When night fell, Abby slid out of her camo then quietly approached the fence, cut the bottom twelve inches, slid herself inside and hurriedly tied it shut with piece of metal wire. After quickly dodging a guard, Abby made it to the building but instead of sneaking inside, she grabbed a pipe that protruded from the building and started climbing it, pain radiating from her broken wrist and damaged shoulder. Abby stopped to rest on the top of one of the three story buildings, the pain becoming too much, and used her time to watch the going ons of those on the inside. The area she could see was a vast open area with table upon table of supplies. Even in the dark, people were lined up at the tables picking out items, signing a paper, then moving on. From what the people Daryl had encountered in the woods had told him, they had a points system. Each item was worth so many points and you paid off those points by working so many hours. It was elegant system in theory but in the hands of a sadist, it was just another form of torture.

After a ten minute rest, she got up and looked around her. At first, she had intended on climbing to the top but the roof top she presently stood on, had several good vantage points that let her see inside several parts of the building along with several hiding spots, a door to the inside and almost no one would be able to see her unless they were on the roof with her. So, Abby decided that this was where she'd hole up for one more day of watching. At least she knew Daryl was here, now she just had to find out where they kept him. Sanctuary was huge, she couldn't just walk in there and expect to find him right away, especially with an enemy around every corner.

Abby perched herself somewhere she could see and not be seen then settled in once more to watch. She watched until well past midnight and by then, most of the people seemed to have gone to sleep. So, Abby decided it was worth the risk to go inside and try to map the place out a bit. She went to the door and slowly opened the door, when she saw no one immediately within sight, she carefully slid inside.

There wasn't anything between the third and top floor, just a big empty space but the second floor was dominated with beds on the floor with only curtains or sheets separating individual living spaces. From what Abby could tell, this was where all the workers slept, the grunts but on the other side of the room was a door she couldn't get to without being seen. The main floor was basically the work floor, where supplies were sold, things grown or made. When she worked her way up to the sixth floor, it was heavily guarded by three men, probably where Negan slept and conducted all his important business. Hopefully that wasn't where he kept his prisoners, but she doubted they would. They were more likely kept on either the first floor or the second floor.

Life had started to come back to Sanctuary by the time she descended the stairs once more, so Abby carefully made her way back up to her rooftop and settled in again to watch. Sometime around midday, she had drifted of to sleep, for how long, she didn't know but was awaken by the sound of a door slamming then two more. Abby heard voices nearby on the ground, so she edged forward and peered over the side of the building. Once again, her heart almost stopped, in the circle of ten men, stood Daryl looking like he was trying to escape. Another man emerged from the building beneath her, whistling. She couldn't hear what they were saying but it was obvious, he was the man in charge, so she assumed he must be the real Negan.

Abby edged back then moved around to the other building, giving her enemy within the building, a chance to see her but if she could find the opportunity, she was going to get Daryl out of there. And if Negan got killed in the process, all the better. When she got closer she watched as Negan took a swing at Daryl's head with and barbed wire wrapped bat but stopped just short of hitting him when Daryl didn't flinch.

"Wow!" Negan said impressed. "You don't scare easily. I love that! But Lucille…well, it kind of pisses her off. She finds it disrespectful. Lucky for you, she's not too thirsty today." Negan leaned in and Abby pulled her pistol, she could hit him with it from this distance. "But I am. So…I'm gonna get me a drink!" He exclaimed as he stepped back.

With a chuckle, Negan turned and walked away, whistling as he went. Abby gritted her teeth as Negan disappeared and the remaining men closed in on Daryl. Daryl immediately fought like a caged tiger, he wasn't going down without drawing some blood and it was all she could do to not open fire immediately. Instead she laid on her back and covered her mouth as tears flowed down her cheeks as she listened to them beating the crap out of Daryl. _They were going to pay_ , she thought angrily.

When they finally knocked him out, two men dragged him off while most of the others wandered back into the building. All but one, and unfortunately for that one man, he was also carrying Rick's colt python, she'd recognized it any where's. Not entirely thinking clearly Abby, slid over the side of the building as the man went over to inspect the motorcycle's. Abby quietly walked up behind him, slashed the back of his knees in one smooth motion then shoved a rag she'd found while searching Sanctuary, in his mouth before he got a chance to cry out as he collapsed to his knees. Abby then wrapped her arms around his fat neck and squeezed. His eyes bulged as he looked back at her, trying to reach back and grab hold of her.

"Hi, I'm Daryl's wife. Where is he? Where are they keeping him?"

Abby released ever so slightly and pulled the rag out of his mouth. "Down the end of the first hall, first two lefts then the end of another hall and you take a right. He's the last door by the corner. I'm only telling you because you will never make it there and out again."

Abby shoved the rag back in his mouth then squeezed even harder. "You and your friends pissed off the wrong woman, too bad you won't see them all die, cause now yer dead." Abby reefed his head hard to one side and heard the crack as his neck broke.

Abby didn't pause for a second as she pulled Rick's gun from his belt and shoved it into her own, then dragged his big body slowly to the metal container, opened the door and dragged him inside. That'd give her time before they realize he was gone and by the time they did, he'd have come back to life and they would hopefully assume that one of the people within Sanctuary had killed him, not a trespasser.

Abby quickly climbed back up on the roof and resumed her watch. She waited till it was well after dark, then entered the building from her rooftop door, not trusting what was behind the door the fat man had indicated. She couldn't get to that hall directly from where she was but using the same tactic as the night before, she used pipes to get where she wanted to be, helping her also dodge some guards.

Eventually, she carefully lowered herself onto the floor then found her way to where the door was, that the men had dragged Daryl through, then followed the dead man's instructions. She knew perfectly well that he could have lied to her, even gave her instructions to where a bunch of the guards stayed, but she'd risk it. As she got closer to the last turn, she heard music playing and when the song came to an end, it started over again. Either someone really liked that one song, or they were trying to drive someone crazy with sensory overload. It was the same idea of what people eventually labelled Chinese torture, putting someone's head under dripping water. While physically not painful, it eventually drove a person mad. Psychological warfare was tended to be more effective than physical torture, when trying to get information or break someone, it just to a little more time.

There was no on in sight, when Abby peered around the corner, so Abby approached the door. She found a speaker pointed directly at the door, telling her that what she suspected was right. Abby pulled her knife, then tapped D-A-R-Y-L in Morse code then G-U-N-N-Y, a reference to what Abraham called her. There was a long pause and Abby was just about to repeat it when she heard tapping. A-B-B-Y. Abby sighed, not ready to be happy but she knew she had the right room. Abby pulled a lockpick from her pocket, worked on the lock then, when the lock clicked, opened the door. Abby nearly started crying, right there as Daryl came into view, then he rushed forward to hugged her.

Abby pushed him back and stroked his face for a second. "We don't have the time." She whispered, then held out her knife.

Daryl nodded as he took the knife from her and, after closing and locking the cell door, followed her down the hall. After several near misses and one death, Abby managed to get them outside. Unfortunately, and some what fortunately, there was a full moon overhead, so you could see everything. Abby led him to the hole she'd made in the fence, undid the wire then helped him shove his big body through the hole. Once she'd got out as well, they headed straight to the bush where her camo thankfully still lay. Once she collected her camo, they ran for the woods together.

Once within the protection of the woods, Abby lead Daryl to where she had the rest of her gear hidden and was immediately greeted by a happy Jack. He trotted straight to Daryl, tail wagging vigorously as Daryl painfully knelt down and petted the dog, pressing his forehead against Jack's. Abby pulled her gear out of the ground, pulled what was left of her jerky, out, and handed it to Daryl but Daryl shook his head and pointed to his jaw. Now that they were semi-safe, she looked at him a little more closely, then realized his jaw was _very_ swollen.

Abby put the jerky back into her bag, then after a bit of rummaging, she pulled out a jar of applesauce which he took and inhaled it enthusiastically. A soft nicker startled both of them, nearly making Abby shoot poor Libby as the horse trotted over to them.

"I'll be damned." Abby mumbled. "I shooed her away almost two days ago, wasn't sure if I'd get out. Wanted to give her a fighting chance."

Sliding her pack on, she handed Daryl her assault rifle then the two of them walked to the building where Abby had hidden her tack. Once she saddled her up, Abby climbed up on to Libby's back, took Jack from Daryl as he handed him up to her, then bent forward so Daryl could climbed up behind her. Abby trotted her way out of the woods, then sent Libby into a gallop as they entered a field. When the sun started rising, she slowed to a walk and looked over her shoulder.

"I don't know exactly where to go now. We can't go back to Alexandria, I don't know if the Savior's know 'bout the base or if they know 'bout our affiliation with the Hilltop."

Daryl wrapped his arms more tightly around her waist as he gently laid his chin on her shoulder. "They don't. Hilltop." He said through gritted teeth.

Abby rubbed his leg, "Are you sure?"

Daryl sighed as he put his forehead against the back of her head. "Yeah."

"Okay then, we'll get close then hole up until night fall. We don't want the Savior's seeing us."

"Okay." Daryl agreed then kissed her neck.

111

Around midmorning, they came across a small town that was no more than a few hours ride from Hilltop and decided that it was as good of a place to hide as any. There, at least, they'd have some warning if the Savior's decided to show up. They found a house with an attached garage where they could keep Libby out of sight, with it's windows already boarded up and doors still in working condition. After clearing the house, they pushed every bit of heavy furniture in front of the doors, leaving only the garage door passable.

Then Abby gave both males more food and water then managed to find some clothes that nearly fit Daryl. Before she let him redress, though, she carefully inspected his wounds the only laceration being a bullet hole wound in his shoulder. The rest of the damage was just bruising, some how escaping his beating without breaking a single bone. Abby slathered an ointment on all his bruises to help with the swelling and the pain. While she inspected his wounds, Daryl stared numbly at the ground, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

"You should sleep, baby." She said softly as she helped him slide on his new shirt. "I'll keep the first watch."

"Yer wearing my vest." Daryl mumbled. Abby looked down, completely forgetting that she still had it on, not having taken if off since she'd left Alexandria. Abby moved to take it off so she could give it to him, but he stopped her. "It looks better on you then me, keep it."

Abby smirked as she gently touched his face. "I'll keep it safe for you, for now. Now, sleep."

Abby fully expected him to protest but he looked exhausted, so he scooted over a bit then laid down, laying his head in her lap. Abby leaned back against the wall, and gently stroked the side of his face while he almost immediately sank into a deep sleep. She stared down at him sadly, he'd always been a quiet reserved man, at least since they'd been together. Getting in a relationship with her seemed to settle down a lot of anger and resentment he'd held his whole life but now his silence worried her. She knew it probably hurt him to talk but something inside his soul was burning deeply with hate and she didn't blame him. After what they did to him, to their family, she was angry too, but she was worried that his anger might consume him.

By early evening, Daryl had managed wake up again but was more than likely awaken by his need to relieve his bladder. When he came back, he walked up to her and held out his hand. She looked up at him confused but took it anyways and got to her feet and followed him up the stairs. He then led her into the huge master bedroom then turned to her and immediately started kissing her passionately as he pulled her body against his.

"Yer hurt." Abby protested in between kisses.

"I don't care." Daryl said then kissed her neck. "I could die tomorrow, and if I do, I want my last day to be pleasurable not hell."

Abby grabbed hold of his arms and gently pushed back. "Daryl…"

Daryl looked her in the eye. "I need you, Abby. More than I've ever needed you before and I need _all_ of you."

Daryl looked so desperate as he looked at her, desperate for her consent. He'd never force himself on her, no matter how much he desired her body. Abby stroked his face and looked him in the eye.

"I've been all yours for some time now. I belong to no man, no person but you." She finally wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He pulled her legs up around his waist then walked her the rest of the way to the bed, then laid her gently down. He unbuttoned her pants then pulled them off, taking her underwear with her pants. He kissed his way up from her hips to her stomach, pushing her shirt up as he went.

It didn't take Daryl long to get lost in her, but their lovemaking was short lived, coming to quick conclusion. Daryl laid on top of her, his head on her chest, his head turned towards her wound, gently running his thumb over it as they both tried to catch their breath. After few minutes, Daryl sat up a little on his forearms and looked her in the eye.

"I haven't said this yet; thank you fer comin' for me. Part of me, though, thinks that was reckless and stupid. I couldn't stand it if you'd died. Period. Let alone if you died or got yer self captured, tryin' to save me."

Abby ran her fingers through his long hair as he looked at her. "And I could never live with myself if I just sat on my ass and did nothin'. For a moment there, when Rick was telling me what had happened, the look on his face made me think that you were dead. I just about passed out, probably would have if you had."

Daryl bent forward and kissed her. "I'm sorry, babe."

Abby chuckled as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't be sorry. They shot you, took you prisoner and tortured you."

Daryl rolled on to his back and put his hands to his face. "That might've never happened if I'd kept my cool. I just wanted them to pay for what they did to you."

Abby rolled onto her side and gently rubbed his chest. "It might've happened anyways. Michonne told me that you guys had no idea about what was happening at home."

Daryl uncovered his face and looked at her as he thought. "Maggie didn't look good. Is her baby okay? Is she?"

Abby sighed. "Yeah, I think so. Rick didn't go into detail but the baby seemed to be in distress, but Dr. Carson seemed be able to fix them. Her, Beth and Sasha might still be at Hilltop. They were there when I left."

"What happened after they took me?" Daryl asked, watching her carefully. Probably reading the sudden irritation that roared up.

Abby sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "There isn't a lot I can tell you, I left the same night Rick got back."

Abby told him what Rick had told her then went into detail about her confrontation with Rick and how she'd gotten out of Alexandria, as she got dressed. As she spoke Daryl must've heard her anger and hurt with what Rick had done. He came around the bed, half dressed and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I get both sides." Daryl said as pushed some of her hair in behind her ear. "Rick still see's you too much like his baby sister, as someone dear to him that he needs to protect. He's not stupid and realizes that yer very capable but his heart tends to override his brain when it comes to you and his kids. He was tryin' to protect you, both from yerself and from the Savior's. You weren't there, you didn't see what they did." Daryl had to look away for a moment to collect himself. "But you have a right to be pissed to. He treated you like a child. Yer a rational woman, you can usually be talked down from whatever crazy shit is goin' through yer head if someone throws logic at you. Doesn't sound like he even tried to talk to you."

"He's gonna co-operated with them." Abby said bitterly.

Daryl shook his head as he put his arm through a sleeve. "They scared the shit outta him with what they tried to make him do to his own son, sick bastard." Daryl growled.

Abby stopped what she was doing and looked at Daryl carefully. "What are you talkin' 'bout?"

Daryl sighed. "Figures he wouldn't tell you that part. Negan basically told him to cut Carl's right hand off or he'd kill everyone."

Abby looked at him mortified. "What?" She squeaked.

"Just when Rick was 'bout to do it, Negan stopped him." Daryl angrily tied his boots.

"Rick was going to do it?" Abby asked in disbelief.

"You weren't there babe. You didn't see what he did to Tyrese then Aaron." Daryl stood up once more. "That kid is tough though, like you. He was super chill. He even told Rick to do it."

"I'm gonna destroy that asshole Negan and his Savior's." Abby snarled.

" _We_ are." Daryl said stroking her. "We will destroy them, together but we can't do it just the two of us. We need to get Rick on board, the Hilltop. Maybe we can get more allies from somewhere else. You saw that place, they got the numbers."

Abby frown as she thought, he was right. "They might have the numbers, but we got the technology. Now that I think 'bout it, if Rick had given up the base, those guards would have night vison and body armor, heat sensor's. But they just had subpar guns, a few nice ones but mostly, civilian level stuff. Yer right, we need more numbers but not necessarily as many as them. We can out smart them, use guerilla warfare at its finest."

"But they know where we live, there's kids there. How do we prevent them from being hurt?"

"We'd have to play a long for a time, make them think we're co-operating while we make plans. The Hilltop on the other hand, with Gregory at the helm, they'll never co-operate."

"Maybe you or I should off him, make it look like the Savior's did it or have a heart-attack or somethin'. Like what you did to the Governor."

Abby sighed. "Maybe for a last resort but we'll try to force his hand first. I…" Abby started to say more but the sound of laughter for outside of the house, drew her attention.

The sun was still up, hovering just above the horizon, giving Abby plenty of light to see. When she looked out the window, she saw a familiar cowboy hat with a familiar young girl. Abby made a quick glance around, then slid the window open.

"Carl!" Abby called.

Daryl frowned as he stepped up behind her, to look out of the window. "Holy shit." He muttered when he spotted Carl looking around him confused, hand on his pistol.

"Carl!" Abby called again, waving her hand to get his attention as she poked her head outside the window.

Carl finally saw her, waved back the skated shakily towards her with Enid in tow. Abby pulled on Daryl's vest once more, then the two of them went downstairs into the garage and opened the door so they could get in. Carl practically fell on Abby as he tried to hug her but was very unstable on his roller skates.

"Auntie." Carl said, hugging her tightly. "Are you okay?" Abby helped him steady himself. When he suddenly saw Daryl, he pushed off of her and surprised Daryl by hugging him to. "Daryl! Auntie saved you?!"

"Yeah. Now, get off those damn things b'fore you break yer neck." Daryl growled but his heart wasn't in it. Carl and Enid both sat down and took of the roller skates as Daryl continued. "Yer aunt is pretty bad ass, they probably didn't even notice me gone until midmornin'."

"Are _you_ okay, kiddo?" Abby asked as she carefully inspected him.

Carl pushed her probing hands away. "I'm fine, auntie, just pissed. They took _every_ thing, this morning! And dad just watched!"

"What're you doin' out here kid?" Daryl growled, this time angry, probably suspecting the same thing as Abby.

"Enid wanted to see Maggie." Carl said, trying to evade them but Abby read her nephew like an open book.

"And yer full of shit, son." Abby said crossing her arms over her chest. "You were gonna find the Saviors on yer own, weren't you?"

Carl looked her in the eye, his gaze steely and firm. "You did."

"First off, I'm a highly trained Marine who used to infiltrate hostile territory for a living, you're a kid. A kid whose seen an unfortunate amount of shit but still a kid. Secondly, I had a plan and it didn't involve me goin' in there half cocked, randomly firing a gun off at people. Only a few of those assholes died, but I did what I set out to do. You can't win a war running in and firing a gun without direction."

"Then give me direction. There's three of us! We could do some serious damage and you could get us out!" Carl exclaimed.

Daryl scoffed as he shook his head. "I thought you were smarter than that, kid. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There ain't just a handful of them, this ain't like Woodbury or the prison. Like yer aunt and I were just discussin', this is gonna take careful planning, resources."

"You ran off half cocked." Carl said defensively as he glared at Daryl.

"Carl!" Abby scolded. "Show some respect!"

"Yeah and look where that got me!" Daryl yelled over top of Abby. "You don't know the hell I've been through this last week! Negan would break you like a twig, boy!"

Carl looked angrily at the ground but didn't say anything. Abby sighed and motioned for everyone to go inside. Daryl marched angrily into the kitchen, then put his back to the wall and slid down to the ground, then started rummaging through Abby's pack. Abby sat on the ground beside him then picked up Rick's gun from the other side of Daryl and held it out to Carl.

"We're gonna head to the Hilltop after nightfall, make sure the Savior's don't see us. You two are comin' with us, there is no other option. You stay the night, then Carl, you're goin' back home. Give this to your daddy and tell him that I got Daryl out."

Carl took the gun from Abby and stared at it morosely. "You're not coming back?"

"No. Daryl can't go back, so neither can I."

"Can't you just come back with me? Just to see dad? He was pretty upset when you got away." Carl said sadly. "I overheard him talking to Michonne, he was scared that you'd die hating him."

"I don't hate him." Abby said with a sigh as she rubbed her temples. "But _am_ angry with him. What he did was wrong and it's going to take me time to forgive him."

"But you _will_ forgive him, right? I get why you're mad but…we don't really have time for grudges anymore."

"Says the kid who just took off on his family to get revenge." Abby said raising an eyebrow.

"Point taken." Carl mumbled.

"We should both get some sleep." Daryl said to Abby. "You look like you've slept 'bout as much as I have over the last week, and I could use some z's. Carl and Enid can keep watch."

"Yeah, you guys go sleep." Carl agreed nodding his head as he checked his father's colt.

"You had better be here in the morning when we wake up!" Abby warned Carl, who rolled his eyes but nodded his head.

Daryl stood then and offered his hand to Abby, who took it but got up on her own steam, not wanting to hurt Daryl. Together they both walk upstairs and went back into the room where Jack was now sprawled out on one side of the bed. Instead of moving the dog, Abby laid down next to Jack, then Daryl squeezed in behind her, wrapping his one arm around her waist as he pressed his chest against her back.

By the time Carl had come up to shake them awake, it was pitch black outside. Daryl finally devoured the last of her deer jerky, his jaws swelling having gone down enough that he could eat solid food again. Once he'd eaten and they'd packed everything back up, the four of them walked back into the garage and walked out, Abby leading Libby behind her and Daryl taking pity on Jack and putting him in a hiking backpack they'd found in the house and carrying him on his back. They walked in near complete silence, Enid constantly looking around nervously as she walked, hand on her knife. After a while, Abby put a hand on the girl's shoulders.

"Hey, we're fine. If there are any walkers or people nearby, Jack will let us know. So would Libby. Both animals lived out here for a long time completely on their own, they got a lot sharper senses than we do." Abby said as she gave Enid's shoulder a rub.

"You really trust that they would give enough of a warning? I mean, wasn't Jack with Daryl when the Savior's snuck up on him?" Enid asked.

"Animal senses aren't perfect." Daryl said. "If you get down wind from 'em and walk real quiet, you can sneak up on even the most sensitive animal but they're a helluva a lot more sensitive than humans."

"And Daryl's senses are pretty good too." Carl said, smirking slightly.

It took them a little over an hour and a half to make it to the Hilltop and when they did reach it, the front gates were obviously damaged, but still closed. They waited in the cover of the trees as Abby lifted her rifle and carefully surveyed the walls. There wasn't a lot that she could see, but she did see at least one familiar face manning the wall.

"What you see?" Daryl asked quietly.

"Not a lot, gate looks damaged but functioning." Abby said. "I'll go to the gate and feel things out. The Savior's have no idea who I am. If they're there, they won't suspect anything." Abby continued as she handed her rifle to Daryl. "When I give the signal, the all will be clear."

Daryl looked at her unhappily, probably scared of her getting hurt or dead but he nodded his head. Abby gave him a quick peck on the lips then moved back into the trees towards where the road was located so she would re-emerge from the road instead of where Daryl, Carl and Enid hid. As she exited the cover of the trees, she raised her hands to show that she was holding no weapons. If their ammunition situation was the same as it was when she had last been there, the gesture was pointless as they couldn't shoot her anyways. Abby walked straight up to the gate and looked up as a head poked over the side.

"Who're you?" The person that Abby couldn't identify, asked.

"I'm Abby, a friend to the Hilltop. Can I talk to Jesus? Or even Dr. Carson? They both know who I am."

The guard stared at her for a moment, then disappeared from sight. Abby waited for about five minutes before a familiar face appeared over the wall and smiled.

"Abby! It _is_ you. Maggie, Beth and Sasha will be happy to see you. Are you alone?" Dr. Carson asked happily.

Abby smirked. "Are you?"

"The Savior's were here today, but they left a while ago. They shouldn't show up for a couple weeks." Dr. Carson answered. "Glenn was here, he said that you had left Alexandria to find Daryl, did you?"

"Let's just say I have people waiting in the trees, waiting for the all clear. So, are you gonna let us in?"

Dr. Carson smiled and nodded his head then looked over at someone. "Open the gate."

Abby turned and made her signal in the general direction Daryl, Carl and Enid hid. They immediately emerged from the trees and made their way over to her as the gate opened, Carl guiding Libby. When they arrived in front of the gate, they walked through the gate together to where Dr. Carson now waited.

"Oh my god, Daryl!" Suddenly Sasha exclaimed as she appeared, trotting over and throwing her arms around Daryl's neck and hugged him, then turned and did the same to Abby. "Girl, you're amazing!"

As Sasha stepped back, Abby saw Daryl get knocked back a step as Beth greeted him with a flying hug as Maggie slowly walked up behind her. Beth laughed suddenly as Jack's head appeared over Daryl's shoulder and started licking her face.

"Jack! I thought you were dead!" Beth said as she wiped both tears and saliva from her face. "Rosita said they shot you in the head!"

"Well they had a terrible shot." Abby said as Daryl slid the pack off his back and set Jack on the ground so he could bounce around Beth. "The bullet grazed his skull and hit his ear but it didn't kill him. I found him in the woods, trying to pick up Daryl's tracks with bloody fur and a broken leg."

"How'd you get Libby out of Alexandria without being seen?" Maggie asked as she walked over to the horse as Carl held on to her reins.

Dr. Carson stepped forward and took the reins from Carl. "Why don't you all go to the trailer and catch up? I'll make sure the horse is looked after."

"Thanks, doc." Maggie said touching his shoulder.

Sasha indicated a direction and they all moved to follow after them. "I was seen." Abby finally answered as they walked. "The guards at the gate were a little out of the loop, even told them to go tell Rick. I just walked out."

Daryl shook his head. "Dumb asses."

"Yeah I imagine Rick tore a strip off of them." Abby said with a sigh. "Kind of a stupid move on my part, but its not like I was in hostile territory or anything."

"Dad was expecting for you to go to the armory and take your gun, him and Michonne even saw you go in but you somehow got out without them seeing you."

"Why'd Rick lock you up anyways?" Sasha asked as she opened the door to the trailer.

"He didn't want me going after Daryl, ruin his thing with the _Savior's_." Abby said bitterly.

"Babe, that's unfair." Daryl said softly. "He thought nothin' would stop you from comin' for me."

"Why ain't you mad at him?" Abby said turning to Daryl. "He _let_ them take you!"

"If Rick hadn't let them take Daryl, we'd have all died!" Sasha said angrily. "Be happy you still _have_ a brother!"

Abby looked at Sasha guiltily. "I'm so sorry, Sasha. Tyrese, he was a good friend. If I could've done something…"

"But you couldn't!" Sasha said still angry. "Even if you had been, Tyrese would've still died and they still would've taken Daryl. Or you could've ended up dead too and that'd have broken not just your family's hearts but ours too."

Daryl sighed. "Don't be too hard on her. She didn't go off half cocked like Han Solo over here." Daryl said pointing to Carl. Everyone looked at him in surprise, even Abby. "What?"

" _Han Solo_?" Sasha asked.

"That's incredibly nerdy of you." Abby said then chuckled as turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I didn't think you even watched TV." Carl said, smirking slightly.

"I was like seven or eight when the first movie came out, it was a big thing when I was a kid." Daryl said shrugging.

"And you just made yourself sound super old." Beth said smirking.

"Hey!" Abby said frowning, "He's only a few years older than me, you know and we ain't old."

"Somone's touchy 'bout their age." Beth said with a smirk.

"Bethy! That's rude." Maggie scolded.

"Look, it's the middle of the night. We can talk more in the morning when we aren't all tired and apparently goofy." Sasha said. "We're getting a little tight in here, why don't you two and Carl stay in the house and Enid can stay with us."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Daryl and I will find a place to sleep, just not in that house."

"I agree, I rather not have that weasel stab us in our sleep."

"Trust me, Gregory doesn't have the spine to kill someone." Sasha said dryly.

* * *

Yay, Daryl is safe! Now back to my writing of other chapters!

-Shockra


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! How's your weekend? Mine's as lazy as ever, haha. Just writing and watching football. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Daryl sat behind Abby as the rode through the woods, his arms wrapped around her waist, head resting on her shoulder. They'd told their stories of the last week to Maggie, Beth and Sasha, although Abby was pretty sure Daryl had heavily censored his story, but Abby could tell that Daryl wasn't ready to talk about it. In turn, Maggie told them about what'd happened to her, they were both relieved to hear that her baby and her were both fine. She also told them that Abraham had gone to check on Alexandria a couple days after Abby had left and Rick had told him what'd happened then to not come back, to stay away and prevent the Savior's from getting the base at all costs. When he'd returned to the base, he'd told Glenn what'd happened and he'd gone to the Hilltop to check on Maggie. He told them about the base and offered to bring Beth and Sasha back with him, but Maggie didn't want to go to the base and neither Beth nor Sasha wanted to leave with Glenn. Glenn, himself, had only left because he was still needed but promised to come back when he wasn't needed.

Abby had forced Carl to leave that morning and Sasha promised to escort him and make sure he went where he was supposed to. Abby gave Carl an envelope to give to his father that contained a letter and two maps. One was the location of the Savior's base, the other of the base itself that her and Daryl had put together. In her letter, she'd let him know that she was fine, as was Daryl, that while she was still irritated with what he'd done, she didn't hate him. The rest of what she wanted to tell Rick, she told Carl. Her plan to go to the base to check on the progress there, then to start working on a plan to get rid of the Savior's. Carl hadn't been too happy to be sent home, especially with an escort, but he went.

111

When they rode around the final bend in the road, the base finally came into view and it wasn't what Abby had expected. Not only had Abraham cleared out the walkers, but it was almost as fortified as Alexandria, now with metal wall almost completely encompassing the grounds with a solid metal gate, making it impossible to see inside from the ground. After a brief pause, Abby moved Libby forward and rode up to the gate, which opened automatically without them saying a word. Frowning, Abby looked around carefully, then spotted a camera discreetly hidden atop the gate post.

When they stepped through the gate, Abby was even more shocked to see two big solar panels on the grounds and a brick building in the process of being built. As they both dismounted, Abraham appeared from the building, arms spread wide and grinning as he walked towards them.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you two!" Abraham said smiling.

"It's good to see you too." Abby said smiling slightly. "You've made a few improvements since I was last here."

Abraham chuckled as he put a cigar in his mouth. "Looked up a place to find solar panels in a phone book, managed to find two. Just barely got them hooked up. I'm still going out everyday to find fuel, but at least now we're starting to stockpile fuel, not use it all up. That Reggie is a pretty brilliant guy, too bad he doesn't know more 'bout computers." Abraham led them to the newly rebuilt main entrance. "We took your advice, closed in the back door so that we can't get snuck up on. Reggie even disguised it even more, so unless you know it's there, you'll never find it."

"What 'bout those big guns? We may need them now." Daryl asked.

Abraham shook his head. "They've been damaged, beyond what I can fix but I think they _are_ fixable; I just need more time. I doubt we could find someone who'd know 'bout that sort of thing, and parts?" Abraham shook his head again as he entered a code that wasn't hers or the Generals, then pushed the door open when it clicked.

"I take it Glenn worked out the security clearance features." Abby commented as they followed Abraham down a flight of stairs.

"Yes ma'am. Your code no longer works, since you passed it around to multiple people but Glenn gave you a new one with as much clearance as the General's. He also deleted the General's code, you're in sole command, Gunny. Of course, Glenn knows your clearance code and has been using it to do his shit that requires top clearance. Everyone here has their own code, but the others can't get into the weapons lockers. They basically can only get on base and into their rooms and cafeteria."

They followed Abraham to the elevator, then descended into the belly of the base and followed him to the CIC where Glenn sat in the room all by himself, squinting at the screen. Unlike the last time she'd been there, the screens were all lit up with various pieces of information.

"You wouldn't happen to have been able to connect with any satellites, have you?" Abby asked making Glenn flinch. "Sorry."

Glenn chuckled as he got to his feet. "I think I've been staring at that screen for too long." He then looked over at Daryl. "It's good to see that Abby hasn't lost her touch." Daryl just nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I've tried connecting to the satellites but I don't know enough to be successful. This place is mostly just a really well fortified hiding place with a lot of guns but at least its safe."

Abby sighed. "I hoped to maybe get an upper hand on the Savior's with the tech we got here, you know track their movements, find their other outposts but I guess we ain't _that_ lucky."

"So, we're fighting back?" Abraham asked grinning.

"Daryl and I are. Maggie is going to try and convince the Hilltop to join us. As for Rick, I don't know. When I talked to him a week ago, he was pretty adamant on staying in line."

"Not completely in line. He hasn't given this place up and I don't think he intends to." Abraham said. "Just give him time, he'll come around."

Abby sighed. "I hope so. Either way, they'll have to pretend to follow Negan's rules, until we can get organized."

"It'd be nice to have more people." Glenn said. "Maggie said it looks like they have a lot of people."

Abby nodded. "They do but they aren't as well armed as they like to make themselves look. They have the numbers but that's it."

"How many do you think?" Abraham asked.

Abby thought about it for a moment. "Maybe a hundred from Sanctuary but if they have other outposts, then they might be able to double that. I should've looked around more, maybe I could've found a map or somethin'."

"No, you shouldn't have! You took to much of a risk as it was!" Daryl growled. "What if they'd caught you?"

"Wait, you were inside?" Abraham asked in exasperation.

Abby looked at Abraham like he was nuts. "Yyyeaaah. How else would I have gotten him out? Especially as unseen as we were."

"I guess I assumed you got him when he was outside of the facility." Abraham said. "But you're right, that's a stupid assumption."

"I made a map, both for Rick and for us." Abby said pulling out the map from her pocket. "The thing is, I'm not sure attacking Sanctuary is wise."

"Why not?" Glenn asked.

"There's kids and innocent people in there." Daryl answered for her. "Negan treats his own people like shit too."

"This is all just hopes and dreams right now, first we need to get more than four people to fight." Abraham said. "You need to go make up with your brother and convince him to fight back. You got the brain for tactic's, Gunny but Rick's the charismatic leader, we need him."

"You really should talk to Rick." Daryl agreed.

111

Hours later, Daryl climbed up behind her once onto Libby's back.

"I know yer probably enjoying gettin' around by horse and it _is_ convenient in some ways, but we should really find a car or another bike." Daryl said as they headed for the gate.

"I'd have thought you'd enjoy spooning pretty much all day!" Abby said, squeezing his knee while they rode through the gate.

"We can spoon on a motorcycle too." Daryl reminded her "but even that gets hard on the ass after a while."

"So yer ass is hurting? That's why yer complainin'?" Abby said, quirking an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I ain't complainin', just suggesting somethin' more logical but yes, my ass hurts."

"We can't just leave her here! And I don't trust leavin' her in either the Hilltop or Alexandria. The Savior's would probably eat her!"

"Then this place is probably the better option. She got like twenty acres to graze on here and I'm sure Abraham could rig up a trough for water."

Abby pulled Libby to a stop. "Maybe you should have brought this up _before_ we left."

Abby felt Daryl shrug behind her. "Just thought of it."

Thankfully the gate hadn't closed yet, so Abby turned around and went back inside. This time the gate closed as Abraham walked over from where he had continued the construction of the building, now with the help of the others.

"You two change yer minds 'bout leaving?" Abraham asked as they dismounted.

"No. Daryl's ass hurts, he'd rather walk." Abby grumbled as she loosened Libby's cinch.

"No, I'd rather drive." Daryl grumbled, annoyed.

"You know anything about horses?" Abby asked.

"I know they say you should never have more horses than asses to ride. Other than that, no." Abraham replied eyeing Libby with displeasure.

"Well, it's pretty easy. You can just let her graze around the compound, but she'd leave you gifts all over the place. So, if you don't wanna watch yer step, then a simple short fence will do. Other than that, she just needs water. A big fifty-gallon trough would be ideal, but resources bein' what they are, a two gallon bucket full three times a day should do."

"Why don't you bring her to Hilltop or Alexandria? Where there's someone who knows what they're doing."

"She's scared the Savior's will turn her into lunch, and they very well might." Daryl said, placing his hands on his hips and cocking an eyebrow.

Abraham sighed. "Fine, but make sure you bring me some more cigars when you come back."

Abby chuckled as she set the saddle inside of the building. "I'll try my best."

Abby slid the headstall off of Libby's head, gave her a good heart scratch and pet before her and Daryl headed for the gate once more, leaving Abraham to figure things out. Once they were half way down the road, Abby stopped and looked sadly. Daryl let out a sigh.

"We can take the damn horse." He grumbled.

Abby stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. It's just that Jack and Libby were all the company I had for a week and she even came back when I sent her off. I just feel bad for leaving her but she's safest there, so it's fine."

Daryl kissed her head, then walked off into the shrubs. After several minutes of following Daryl, she realized that they weren't heading for the Hilltop but Alexandria. Abby stopped in her tracks.

"We ain't going to Alexandria!" Abby said firmly. "The Savior's could be there and you could get caught!"

Daryl stopped and looked back at her. "We ain't gonna make it there today, anyway and it'll be late in the evening tomorrow, if we walk the whole way. If they are there looking for me, they'll be gone by the time we get there. We won't stay long, just long enough to talk with Rick."

"Just so _I_ can talk with Rick." Abby snarled.

"And I wanna know what happened to Merle, they ain't said nothing about him. I'm 'bout the only who cares 'bout him."

Abby relaxed a little. "I care."

Daryl just looked at her for a moment then turned and continued walking. The following morning, Abby was awakened by Daryl twitching and grunting in his sleep. She sat up on one elbow and reached over to touch his face gently as she realized that he was having a nightmare.

"Daryl," She said softly as she stroked his hair. "Wake up, baby. It's just a dream. You're okay."

Daryl suddenly lurched to sit upright, looking around him wild eyed, then stopped to stare at Abby, his breathing rapid. After blinking hard a couple times, he put his head into his hands. Abby touched his shoulder but he shrugged it off as he stood up.

"We should get going." He said, his voice a little hoarse.

Abby sighed, he wasn't ready to talk and if she pushed him now, he'd only get angry. That was the one thing she could find tiring about Daryl sometimes. You had to time your questions on sensitive topics just right. They walked out of the duplex that they had holed up in for the night, then down the street to where they had seen a used car dealership. Abby climbed then sat on top of a car roof, keeping watch while Daryl went from car to car, checking batteries and trying to start them, until he successfully found a tiny little Austin Mini that would start.

"Of course, it'd be the ancient midget car that works." Daryl muttered as he squeezed in behind the wheel.

Abby chuckled as she threw her pack in what passed as a back seat. "You look cute in it!" Abby gushed as she sat down in the passenger seat.

"Ain't nothin' cute 'bout this." Daryl grumbled unhappily.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted a car." Abby said as she patted his hand then bent over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Where's that motorcycle store you told me 'bout a while back?" Daryl asked as he drove out of the lot.

"Why?" Abby asked, trying to not smile. Daryl looked kind of hilarious in their tiny new car.

"Maybe there's a motorcycle there, it'd make me much happier then this thing." Daryl grumbled as he reached over and grabbed her hand.

"I thought it'd hurt yer ass?" Abby said sarcastically then kissed the back of his hand.

"Well I got you to massage my ass afterwards." Daryl said smirking for the first time since she'd freed him from the Saviors.

"It seems like I've spoiled you a little." Abby said chuckling.

Daryl suddenly slammed on the brakes as a truck appeared in front of them. Daryl cursed as he slammed the car into reverse as the truck accelerated towards them, then cranked the steering wheel, its tires squealing as the cars nose swung around and quickly put it in drive then sped off down the highway. Daryl quickly made it back into the town they'd been holed up in, then took advantage of the cars superior cornering abilities as he weaved between the blocks, as the truck pursued them. They managed to lose them for a moment, but they reappeared in front of them a couple blocks later, making Daryl slam on his brakes once again. Once Daryl had swung them around again, Abby reached into the back seat for her the assault rifle and her Kevlar vest. She set the vest in between her feet, then rolled down her window and tried to aim carefully as Daryl weaved his way out of town again.

After a moment, she fired off a couple of shots at the driver making him swerve to the side but if she'd hit him, then she'd only injured him as they continued their pursuit. Abby fired a few more shots, mostly wanting to enlarge the hole in the windshield. She then slid back into the car, pulled a hand grenade from the pocket of her vest, then looked at Daryl who eyed her cautiously.

"Drive straight for a moment." Abby ordered.

Daryl wasn't entirely impressed as he pressed his lips in a line, but he nodded his head as he straightened out. Abby pulled the pin, slid her torso out of the window, released the arm, counted off a few second then lobbed the grenade as accurately as she could towards the truck. Technically, she missed her mark as it bounced off of the hood, but it then bounced over the cab and landed in the bed of the truck and blew up, blowing the rear end of the truck into the air, making it flip ass over nose and land on its roof.

Daryl slammed on the brakes again, but this time he slammed the car into park and grabbed the assault rifle from the foot of her seat and climbed out of the car. Abby slid the rest of the way out of the car, pulled out her pistol and followed, hot on Daryl's heels. They approached cautiously, and when they reached the truck, a man crawled out with a gun raised but Daryl put a bullet in between the eyes before he could fire at them first. Abby circled around to the driver side and found the driver dead. He hadn't been wearing a seat belt and had landed on his head, breaking his neck. Three more men were in the back and were clambering to get out but Daryl opened fire on them, killing them before they could climb out of the truck.

Abby walked around to the passenger side and found Daryl staring down at the man who'd crawled out of the truck. He scowled, then fired two more shots into the body, unnecessarily, before turning and marching back to the car. Abby wanted to go after him and make sure he was okay, but first she had to make sure there was nothing useful in the truck. So, she pulled the man the rest of the way out truck, relieved him of his pistol and bullets then pulled the truck door open. She checked the glove box, finding a map, then checked the remaining dead bodies only finding more guns and a minimal amount of food.

She walked back to the car, opening the trunk so she could better reach her pack and shoved the items into it. She walked back to the passenger side door and climbed inside. Daryl immediately took off, glaring at the road as he drove while Abby watched him carefully. After ten minutes of complete silence, Abby couldn't take it anymore.

"Babe, you need to talk to me. Is this 'bout your dream? Or you bein' taken prisoner? All of it?"

Daryl's face darkened. "All of it. I'm just…I'm just so _angry_! I want nothing more then go do what Carl wanted to do and just run into Sanctuary and just start firing! Kill _everybody_! I wanna make 'em pay for what they did to me!"

Abby turned in her seat so she could look at him better. "I know babe, better than you know. It's a hard pill to swallow and it ain't something you're gonna get over, overnight."

"You've been tortured before?" Daryl asked surprised as he looked at her.

"Yeah, it was near the end of my time in the Corps., may have contributed to my breakdown. My unit got caught behind enemy lines, they tried get us to tell them who we worked for and what our mission was. If it wasn't for Lewy, we'd have probably died there."

"Can I ask what they did to you?" Daryl asked quietly.

Abby smiled as she reached over and stroked his cheek. "It's okay. That was a long time ago and I've had time to get over what happened. Nothing terribly unique. Putting a rag over your face and pouring water over it, shoving hour head into a bucket of water, tried humiliating me in front of my men, that sort of thing. Got a fractured cheek bone and a couple broken fingers, nothing serious."

"How long?" Daryl asked wincing.

"Four days. Rick never knew that I'd been taken hostage. I healed on base and when the docs declared me physically and mentally sound, we went right back at it."

"How did you deal?" Daryl's face was now neutral, doing his best to cover up his emotions.

"My guys helped. We all went through the same thing, so it was easier to talk 'bout it. Then there was the work, I focused on my missions, on what needed to be done. It helped me to not fixate on what happened, which wasn't always easy, things could get pretty boring at times."

Daryl was silent for almost half an hour and Abby had thought that he'd dropped the subject but after a while he started fidgeting, then started chewing on the end of her thumb. "They beat the shit outta me, a couple times. They tried to get information 'bout Alexandria but I told them shit. Took my clothes, had me sittin' in that room bare assed, freezin' to death for days. No blanket just a bare concrete floor and concrete walls. No light and that damn song playin' over and over. Every time I'd just start to drift off, they'd start it over again. Gave me nothin' to eat for days and when they finally did feed me, I'm pretty sure it was dog food."

Abby shook her head angrily. "Shoulda talked to Merle b'fore I left. If he knew that they had you, maybe he'd have given up their location and I coulda gotten you sooner."

Daryl reached over for her hand again. "Whose to say that'd you'd been able to get me out then. You said you saw me the day before you broke me out. That was the first day that I'd been outside since the captured me. You wouldn't have had that confirmation."

"But…"

Daryl shook his head as he squeezed her hand. "It happened when it was supposed to happen."

Abby chuckled as she rubbed her head. "Aren't I supposed to consoling you? Not the other way around."

The car suddenly sputtered, made a clunking noise then the car stalled out. Abby bent over to look at the gas gauge, saw that it said it was half full as the car slowly rolled to a stop.

"That wasn't the gas runnin' out, sounded like the transmission goin'. Looks like we're walkin'." Daryl said irritated.

They opened the door, grabbed their stuff then headed out. "Let's hope, yer right 'bout that store, otherwise it'll be really late when we get to Alexandria." Abby said as they walked into the ditch then into the bush.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. How far you figure?" Daryl asked as he followed her for once.

"Probably 'bout another two hour walk." Abby guessed.

111

Daryl grinned at her as they broke from the cover of the tree. He gave her a wet smooch on the cheek, then quickly walked the remaining distance to the front door of the motorcycle store. When they walked into the store, Daryl gave her ass a hard smack before walking further into the building. He ogled briefly at the stuff in the building then walked to the back door that led outside into a fenced off area that Abby and Beth hadn't even looked at.

"Babe! Come here!" Daryl said excitedly.

Abby smiled, at least he could get excited about something still. Abby walked out into the yard and saw Daryl kneeling beside an old Harley Softtail. Abby touched Daryl's neck and he looked up at her, grinning like a kid at Christmas.

"Looks intact, probably don't run but I bet with all those parts in there, I can get it goin'." Daryl said excitedly.

Abby kissed the top of his head. "I'll go see if I can find the keys."

"Yeah, go get 'em key hound." Daryl said smirking as she walked away.

Abby went back inside and went into the only office in the building and started rummaging around. After ten minutes, Abby found a set of keys with a Harley Davidson emblem on it, sitting in a fish bowl full of keys. She walked back outside to find Daryl emptying the oil out and pulling off the oil filter.

"Hey!" Abby called. "Catch!"

Daryl turned in time to catch the keys. "Figured you'd find them. Get me some fresh oil, would ya?"

"Sure, anything else?"

"That's good for now." Daryl said as he turned back to the bike.

Abby did as Daryl asked and once she'd set down the oil, she went back into the store and shopped around. Abby pulled off a pair of Ray bans from the sunglasses stand and smiled, then turned as she heard the sound of a motorcycle trying to turn over. Abby came outside just as it roared to life and saw Daryl looking like a little kid as he sat on the back of the bike. He reeved the throttle as she approached, grinning ear to ear.

"Always wanted one of these." Daryl said as she came over.

Abby slid the sunglasses onto his face. "There, just perfect."

"Get the gate, hot stuff, and we can get outta here." Daryl said, nodding towards a gate that would lead them out into a back alley.

111

Daryl pushed his new bike into the ruins of one of the houses outside the walls then together, they walked out onto the road and walked for the gate of Alexandria. When they walked into sight of the gate, they could hear Rosita gasp for where they stood.

"Daryl! Abby!" She called then looked down at whoever was manning the gate and told them to open up.

The gate rolled open as Rosita disappeared from sight as they walked cautiously forward. Gabriel's face suddenly appeared in front of them as they approached.

"They aren't here." He said simply. "They were but they're gone now."

They stepped inside and he closed the gate behind them as Rick appeared around the corner and came running towards them, followed by Michonne. Rick skidded to a halt and practically slammed into Abby as he wrapped his arms around her as Michonne reached up and gave Daryl a kiss on the cheek. Abby held her hands out at her side as Rick squeezed her and put his face into her shoulder.

"Abigail." He breathed then stepped back and put his hands on her face but she twisted away and stepped back. The hurt on his face, stabbed her in the heart but so had his betrayal. Rick finally looked over at Daryl who nodded and stepped in for a hug. Rick looked relieved that Daryl hadn't held what had happened, against him, as he smiled slightly then winced.

"I'm sorry, brother, if I could've done something…" Rick started but Daryl shook his head.

"You couldn't. I got myself into that shit, Abby shouldn't have had to come get me." Daryl said.

Rick grimaced and looked away as Michonne touched Daryl and Abby's arms. "Why don't we go inside and talk there?"

They all nodded to her then moved towards Rick's house together as a group. As they approached the house, Abby saw Carl standing on the porch, holding his little sister, watching them approach. As they got closer, he walked to the bottom step and walked over to Abby to give her a one arm hug. They walked inside together, and all leaned against the island as Rick no longer had any couches or chairs.

"They really did take everything." Abby muttered as she gazed into the living room.

"Yeah, they just left us with a couple mattresses, the odd chair…took all of our guns." Rick said tiredly. "Except my Colt that you got back got me."

"We can fix that but, in the meantime…" Daryl rummaged through the pack on Abby's back and pulled out the four pistols they had taken from the Savior's they'd killed.

"Don't take any guns from the base. If the Savior's find them, they'll wonder where we got them." Rick said as he looked at the pistols that Daryl set on the island counter. "You came here to convince me to fight, didn't you?"

"Yes, among other things." Abby answered, nodding her head.

"You're gonna tell me that you'll forgive me if I fight back?" Rick said bitterly.

"No. I'll still be pissed either way but for the good of your children, it would be wise." Abby said with an equal bitterness.

Daryl pinched the back of her arm as Rick's face darkened. "It's for the good of my children that I _don't_ fight! This is their home and where do you think the Savior's will attack first?"

"You seem to think that the Savior's are Omniscient, but they aren't. They're human, just like us, they have a limited supply. There's more than one way to wage a war, you don't need to rush their home base."

"I'm all ears, Abigail! Enlighten me!" Rick said sarcastically

"Besiege them, surround their headquarters so they can't leave. It's a tactic as old as time."

"If I recall, that tactic was generally used when you had the superior numbers while the enemy had the superior defenses." Rick said, irritated with her.

Abby shook her head. "Not necessarily, we just need to make sure they can't leave their base."

"How?"

"I don't know yet. I have to think a little more, I'm used to having high tech toys at my disposal but maybe studying history will give us inspiration."

"Look, we're not suggesting that you immediately stop helping the Savior's, just start making plans, collecting stuff and people to help us fight." Daryl said looking Rick in the eye.

"They're right, Rick. We need to start making plans. Thanks to Abby we know where their main base is, we can watch them. We also know where at least one of their outposts are, we can find the other ones, collect information, numbers." Michonne touched Rick's arm and looked at him pleadingly.

Rick sighed. "I'll think 'bout it."

There was a brief moment of silence as they finished their conversation on the matter, then Michonne looked over at them.

"Are you two at least spending the night?" Carl asked hopefully.

"So long as you don't expect any more company." Daryl answered.

"They were just here the other day, looking for you." Rick said, looking at Daryl. "I doubt they'll return before tomorrow."

"What happened to Merle?" Daryl asked with a frown.

"He's still in his cell." Michonne said with an irritated sigh. "We had to hide him when the Savior's where around, we weren't sure how they'd respond to us keeping one of their men captive."

"I very nearly let him out to track down Abigail but then I figured he'd more likely help her then drag her back here." Rick said frowning.

Abby glared at him, part of her wish he had, Merle might've been helpful, but she could only handle him in small doses.

"On that happy note, you two need to talk your shit out. I'm gonna have a talk with Merle." Daryl said as he righted himself.

Abby glared at Daryl's retreating back, wisely leaving before she could say something snide. Michonne took Judith from Carl and indicated for him to go out of the door.

"Why don't you go check on things? I'll put Judith to bed." She said to Carl then watched him leave before looking between Abby and Rick. "You two be nice. You are family, blood relatives, not too many people have that these days and it'd hell of a shame if you waste that holding a grudge."

Rick sighed and leaned heavily on his arms as Michonne climbed the stairs. "She's right, you know. We could die at any moment; do you want being angry with me to be the last thing you feel?"

"What you did was wrong!" Abby growled as she crossed her arm's over her chest. "Daryl's right, I'm pretty damn good at listening to logic but you didn't even try! You just slapped the cuffs on me and hauled me off!"

"I tried!" Rick said in exasperation.

"No, you didn't! You man handled me, yelled at me and ordered me around. In case you've forgotten your several decades of experience, I don't respond well to that sort of thing."

Rick breathed in deeply then slowly let it out. "You're right, I didn't handle the situation well. I'm sorry, I really am. But I also like to think that I know you pretty well. I know love Daryl and I knew you'd do anything for him and the thought of losing my baby sister, scared the shit out of me."

"And losing Daryl scares the shit out of me! I _do_ love him!" Abby eyes started to tear up as Rick came closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad I did what I did, I wished I'd found the place sooner! You didn't see how those people are treated, how they treated Daryl! It's affected him more than you'll probably ever see."

Rick hugged her tightly as tears started running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, baby girl, I should've had more faith in you."

Abby finally relaxed and let her face fall onto Rick's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to hold it against him for what he did, but she loved him too much and Michonne was right, that's not how she'd want to die or leave Rick thinking that she hated him.

"Don't be such an asshole next time." Abby croaked.

Rick chuckled as he rubbed her back. "I'll try not to but I can't guarantee it."

Abby pulled back. "Well direct yer need to be an asshole at Negan. Make him pay for what he's done to us."

Rick immediately solemn up. "Let me think about, okay?"

Abby let an annoyed sigh. "Fine, in the meantime Daryl and I will be making plans, with or without you."

"I'm tired Abigail, can we talk 'bout this in the morning?" Rick asked as he rubbed his face.

"Fine. Do we still have a townhouse?"

"Yeah, it's got no furniture but Denise hid some of your valuables. Not that you had many." Rick said as she walked for the door. "So, am I forgiven?"

Abby stopped with her hand on the door know. "Mostly. I'm still not happy with what you did but I get yer reasoning…and that's enough for now."

"Again, I'm sorry sis. I'll be better next time."

"Let's hope there is no next time." Abby said then opened the door and left.

She walked down the street to where the cell was located then walked down the steps, nodded to the guard as she walked in to the room. Daryl and Merle were talking quietly, probably not wanting the guard to overhear, then Merle looked around his brother's shoulder at her.

"There she is, miss MVP! Bet your brother is kicking himself now for not havin' more faith in you." Merle said happily.

"Rick regrets how he handled things, but I don't think he regrets trying to stop me." Abby said as she came up beside Daryl.

"Yer a clever thing, ain't ya? Out smarted the person who's known ya since you were in diapers, arguably the one who knows you best and who is a pretty clever bastard himself."

"It almost sounded like you complimented my brother." Abby said smirking.

"Did no such thing." Merle replied but grinned at her.

"And Daryl probably knows me best. Might not know every little thing about me, and we're working on that but he knows and understands my mind the best. Ain't that right, babe." Abby looked at him and smiled.

Daryl smirked slightly. "Sure do."

"Merle tell you anything interesting?" Abby asked as she looked at him.

"Nothing new so far but he's agreeing to be more informative, tell us 'bout those other outposts."

"On the condition they let me go, I'm tired of being locked up here." Merle grumbled.

"It could be worse, much worse." Daryl said as his face darkened and looked away.

Merle seemed to soften a bit as he looked at his brother. "Ya, it could be." Then got a hold of himself as he looked at Abby. "I could be more help out there, then in here. Show where the places are, the outposts and how to get into them. I promise you, I have no intentions of going back, I'd rather die."

"What happened to 'I am Negan'?" Abby asked.

"When you've lived that for as long as I did, you ferget who ya are. Bein' in Alexandria, it's givin' me time to reflect, to remember that family comes before everything and if these people are Daryl's family, then they're mine."

Abby studied him a moment as he looked her straight in the eye. "I don't hold that kind of power, but I can talk to Rick. With Savior's dropping in whenever they want, getting you outta this cell would be for the best. For the night though, yer stuck."

Merle let out a tired sigh. "Yeah, kinda figured."

Abby touched Daryl's arm. "Let's get some sleep." She said to him.

Daryl nodded, then the two of them moved for the door. "Hey!" Merle called to them and they looked back at him. "I don't say this often but…thanks. For looking out for my scrawny assed brother, both for getting him outta that hell hole and for all the times before. He's a Dixon so I _know_ that boy has been an asshole to you a time or two but yer still around."

"I am and don't plan on leavin'. And I'm pretty sure I've been an asshole too. If anybody is more tolerant in this relationship, it's him."

"Damn straight." Daryl exclaimed, smirking slightly.

Abby smacked Daryl as she continued. "Rick ain't the only who underestimates his younger sibling but yer welcome…I guess."

* * *

I decided that I need more Merle in my story. In my next couple chapters, he kinda fades away again but I'll try and fix that. I know I had a couple of readers in my past stories that said he hadn't gotten his due on the TV series, so I'll see if I can make him a little more prominent.

-Shockra


	10. Chapter 10

Hey! Wow, this is going to quickly! So I'd say we're probably at the half way point. Like the last two, this'll probably end up being around a twenty chapter story. So I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The next morning, Abby awoke as cold as an ice statue. She slept on the floor of their bedroom, curled up with a thin blanket over top of her but it wasn't enough. When she felt the spot beside her, it felt quite cold, telling her that Daryl hadn't been there for some time. As she sat up, she looked around to see if he was in the room then got up and went into the bathroom but he wasn't there either. Abby put the plug in the tub and started the water before leaving the room and going downstairs. As she walked down the steps, she found him staring out of a window, leaning against the frame with a cigarette in his hand. Abby walked up beside him and leaned into him.

"Finally got that smoke you've been craving for?" She asked as she leaned against him.

Daryl looked at the cigarette in between his fingers. "Yup."

Abby straightened up and grabbed his hand then pulled him towards the stairs. "Gonna take a bath. Join me."

Daryl snuffed his bud in an ashtray on the counter that had been left behind, then wrapped his arms around her as they continued for the stairs. Once they reached the stairs, he kept one hand on her ass as he followed her up the steps and into their bedroom.

Several minutes later, they lounged in the tub with Daryl's back was against the tub and Abby in between his legs, resting her back against his chest. Abby scrubbed one of his dirty arms while Daryl rubbed small circles on her stomach.

"I can almost forget all that shit that's happened." Daryl murmured, completely relaxed. "It's like it was all just a bad dream."

"I wish it was. I wish we could be together and have things like before everything went pear shaped."

"You think the world would miss us if we stayed like this forever?" He sounded so much like his regular self, she wished they could.

Abby tipped her head back onto his shoulder. "Then the water would get cold."

Daryl snickered then kissed Abby's temple. "And that's why I love you."

"Because I'm a smart ass?" She asked, smiling at him softly.

"Yeah. You can crack a joke in almost any situation, no matter how bleak and it never comes across as inappropriate."

"Well I wouldn't say never. Maybe never to you." Abby sat up and held a wash cloth over her shoulder. "Be a lamb and wash my back."

After Abby was satisfied that they were both clean enough and after a passionate session of lovemaking against the bathroom counter, they got dressed and went outside. For the most part, everything looked like it always did with the exception that almost everyone looked scared or stressed. When Denise saw them walking towards Rick's house, she grabbed Abby's arm and dragged her back to the clinic.

"it's been over a week since I've looked at your wound." She said as she forcibly guided Abby to one of the beds.

"It looks fine." Daryl said, annoyed. Abby was surprised that he'd followed her into the building, he'd avoided Dr. Carson like the plague back in Hilltop.

"You're next, Daryl." Denise firmly. "Michonne said you'd gotten shot in the shoulder, had bled out pretty good."

Abby slid Daryl's vest off as he took a step back. "It's fine, the Savior's had their doctor look at it, said it was doin' fine." Daryl said defensively.

Denise looked up from inspecting Abby's wound but didn't say anything then continued to inspect the wound. Since Daryl had just dressed it with fresh gauze and had lathered it with some expired wound treatment they'd found, she just stuck the tape back to the skin.

"It does look good. How are you feeling?" Denise asked as she let Abby slide off the bed.

"Fine. Can get sore by the end of the day, but it's my arm that bugs me the most." Abby said holding up her casted arm.

"Well you have at least another six weeks in that, nothing I can do 'bout that except give you some pain killers."

Abby shook her head as she slid Daryl's vest back on. "No, the pain's tolerable. Save those pain killers for those who need them. I hear Tara's back, although I hadn't seen her yet."

Denise smiled, "Yeah. She showed up just before you two, she's sleeping right now."

"No Heath, though?" Abby asked sadly.

Denise shook her head sadly. "Tara said they got separated. When she went back to where they'd left their vehicle, it was gone."

Abby frowned. "He left her?"

"Tara said she fell of a bridge, got knocked out and ended up near the ocean. It was almost a day later when she got back, he probably assumed she was dead. Tara doesn't blame him, she figured he must've been hurt in the conflict and since he hasn't shown up, he must not have gotten far."

"We left Merle chained to a rooftop once. Shit happens sometimes, he mighta even looked for her." Daryl said quietly.

Abby nodded. "I guess yer right. Hopefully he's okay."

"Daryl you're up next." Denise said indicating the table.

"No. I'm good." Daryl said giving Denise the stink eye as he watched her carefully.

"Babe, you should let her have a good look at you. You've only had me lookin' at your bruises." Abby begged, as she turned his head and looked him in the eye with a pleading look.

Daryl sighed and turned his head away. "There ain't anything she can do 'bout those. If I was bleedin' internally, I'd be dead by now."

Abby reached up and stroked his face, his jaw was no longer swollen but you could still see the faint signs of the bruises that had been there. "Please, for me. I almost never ask you for anything."

Daryl rolled his eyes as he relented, unbuttoned the top couple of buttons, then pulled off his shirt. Denise looked at the bruises, surprised, then looked at him sadly but Daryl just glared back at her. Denise stepped forward then gently started probing his ribs where there was a clear imprint of someone's boot. After a couple minutes of probing then checking his gunshot wound, she looked Daryl in the face.

"Nothing seems broken. Your gunshot wound should be more healed than it is but considering the ordeal you went through, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Told you it was fine." Daryl growled.

Abby backhanded Daryl's arm with her good hand. "Be nice, she's just doing her job."

Rick walked into the room as just Daryl pulled on his shirt.

"Hey you two. Can we talk?" He asked from the door.

They both nodded then Daryl slid off of the table to follow Rick as Abby put a hand on Denise's shoulder. "Thanks for checking on us. Don't mind Daryl's ornery disposition."

Daryl looked back at her and glared but continued following Rick out of the door. "It's okay, I prefer his attitude over his brothers."

"Yeah, Merle's an acquired taste. See you around Denise." Abby patted Denise's shoulder then followed after the already departed Daryl and Rick.

Since their townhouse was closer, they followed Rick as he walked the short distance back to it. Once inside, Abby sat up on the counter while Daryl leaned against the counter, arm resting on her leg.

"What's up big brother?" She asked as she rubbed Daryl's neck.

Rick sighed as he faced them. "I've been thinking all night and then I talked with Michonne and Reg. They both agree with you. Even with the few visits we've had from the Savior's, the deal just keeps getting worse. Yesterday, before you got here Negan let one of his men kill Olivia all because of what Spencer did." Rick shook his head in disgust. "But we don't have enough people to fight him! Even from your short message, I figured he must have a solid hundred people. We have a quarter of that with Alexandria and maybe a third with Hilltop, that gives us very few options."

"Wars have been won with worse odds and less. We're fighting for our freedom, for our home, for the right to live! They fight for greed and most of them probably don't truly believe I'm Negan or his vision, they just see him as a way to survive. If they see other options, some people may start abandoning ship." Abby said.

"Negan's got his talons in those people pretty deep, babe. It won't be easy to get them to leave him, fear can be a powerful motivator." Daryl said, obviously not liking his own words.

"And hope can be even more powerful." Abby said as she stroked his neck. "I've never fought in a rebellion before but hope is usually what they're built on."

"You're right and I don't want Carl seeing his father giving up on that. On either thing, hope or freedom. We'll fight but we need more people, Abigail!" Rick stressed again.

"Okay, we'll start with the Hilltop. Maggie is trying to work with Gregory but he's not even tolerating them being there, maybe you could persuade him." Abby suggested. "Him and I are more likely to break Gregory's neck." She continued, pointing at Daryl and herself.

Rick rubbed his beard. "Alright, I'll talk with him, but he didn't seem too willing to talk with me last time."

"Another thing." Daryl said as he straightened up. "Yer gonna let my brother go. He says he'll tell us all he knows and even help us if we let him go."

Rick studied Daryl carefully. "And you trust him to not sell us out the second he gets a chance?"

"So long as I'm here, no I don't think he will. Merle ain't stupid and he knows what kind of a bastard Negan is. As messed up as Merle is, he'd never put me in that kind of danger, especially after what he did to me. Merle's best quality is his loyalty to family and he now sees Abby in that light to."

Rick was silent for a moment. "Fine but like last time, he's your responsibility."

Daryl nodded his head. "I can handle that."

"Give me an hour and we'll head to the Hilltop." Rick said as he headed for the door. "You gonna need a lift?"

Abby smiled. "Nope, we got a Harley!"

Rick quirked an eyebrow. "You found one that works?"

"Daryl had to do a few things to get it going but yeah." Abby replied grinning

Daryl moved towards the door, picking their pack from the floor and carrying with him to the door. "Someone is gonna have to carpool with Merle. We'll ridin' with each other and I ain't letting him take the bike."

"That'd probably be wise. We'll take the SUV, Michonne isn't going to be happy riding with Merle but it means he'll be out of our hair for now, so she'll deal."

The three of them walked the short distance to the cell, then Rick told the guard that Merle was free to go before going off to get ready to leave. Merle's grin was huge as the guard unlocked the door and stepped back.

"Well ain't you a doll, you got me out!" Merle said happily.

Abby pointed her thumb to Daryl. "Actually, he did. Rick listens better to him then me."

"I'd get you a gun and knife but the Savior's took all of our guns and we have very few knives." Daryl said as he led them out of the cell. "Bastards even got my crossbow and Bowie hunting knife."

The three of them walked down to the gate then sat on the grass while they waited for the others. Merle started telling them, in more detail, about the things that had happened to him since he had parted from them back in Georgia. He told them about several near misses with other groups he had on his way to Washington, one group sounding a lot like the people from Terminus, and then how he'd met the Saviors. When Rick rolled in the SUV, Michonne stared unhappily straight ahead while Rick leaned out of the window.

"Get in Merle." Rick said.

"What 'bout them two?" Merle asked looking over at his brother.

"We're taking a bike and we only got one, so you ride in the SUV." Daryl said as he indicated for the guard to open the gate.

Merle looked back at his brother, slightly annoyed, then walked around to the other side and climbed in without further comment. After Rick had drove off, Daryl and Abby walked the short distance to where they'd stashed the motorcycle, climbed on. They quickly caught up with the SUV, then rumbled on ahead of them, Abby sticking her tongue out as she passed them. Abby gave Daryl's waist a squeeze as she looked over at his reflection. She had to admit, the Ray Ban's and jawbone printed bandana pulled over his nose, made Daryl look both menacing and extremely hot. He'd also grabbed himself a leather jacket for the cooler days, which he now wore which only added to the look.

When they reached the front gate of Hilltop, the gate automatically swung open without them asking and were immediately greeted by a smiling Maggie and Beth. As everyone climbed out of the SUV, Sasha and Enid also appeared, looking equally glad to see them.

"You're back!" Beth said happily as both Abby and Daryl climbed off the motorcycle.

Merle whistled as he came over. "Where'd you find that fine machine?"

Beth looked at Merle dubiously then turned and walked off as both brothers engaged in a conversation about motorcycles. Abby followed after her, as the others hugged and greeted each other, then put a hand on Beth's upper back as she busied herself in a raised garden bed.

"Hey, you okay kiddo?" Abby asked quietly.

"It's just…seeing Daryl get his brother back, I'm happy for him but it makes me miss Shaun. It's just so unfair how such a scuzzy person like Merle gets to survive but such a sweet smart person like Shaun, doesn't." Beth sighed as she stood up again. "I just miss him."

"I get what you mean but unfortunately Merle survived _because_ of the type of person he is. Same with Negan and all those other assholes who run the Saviors. It's unfair, I agree." Abby turned Beth and gave her a hug. "C'mon, kiddo let's go talk with this asshole, I mean guy."

Beth chuckled as they followed their group as they mounted the steps then followed them inside the house. Jesus knocked on the door then announced their presence to Gregory as he held the door open for them. They all spread out around the perimeter of room, and instead of taking her typical spot beside Daryl, Abby stood next to Rick as he stood in front of Gregory as he lounged behind the big wooden desk as he fingered a glass of alcohol.

"We've come to ask for your help." Rick started.

"Oh?" Gregory asked cynically as he took a sip from his glass.

"We're going to fight back against the Savior's but we need help." Rick continued as he stood before Gregory. "We can take them out, we just need more people so we're here to make a deal."

Gregory snickered as he got to his feet and started pacing behind his desk. "You swore you could take the Saviors, and you failed. So, any arrangement we had is now done…null and void. We aren't trading partners, we aren't friends and we never met. Hmm? We don't know each other." Gregory sat heavily in his chair, as if he had done a hard day's work of physical labor, then leaned towards Rick. "I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in those refugee's, at great personal risk."

Maggie scoffed in disbelief as Jesus looked at him in disgust. "Oh, you were very brave in staying here," Jesus said sarcastically "while Maggie, Beth and Sasha saved this place. Your courage was _inspiring_."

"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory asked in irritation of Jesus. "Aren't we friends?"

Rick stepped forward, trying to get Gregory's attention again. "Gregory, we already started this."

" _You_ started this!" Gregory argued.

" _We_ did." Rick stressed again. "And we're gonna win."

"These are _killers_!" Gregory said stressed.

"Is that how you want to live?" Rick asked. "Under their thumb, killing your people?"

"Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like." Gregory said indignantly.

"Like hell we don't!" Abby grumbled. "You can always turn a bad situation into a better one or die trying."

"It's the dying that I have problem with." Gregory said then looked at Rick. "Sometimes Ricky, you gotta count the blessings you have."

"How many people can we spare?" Maggie asked testily. "How many people here can fight?"

Gregory scoffed. "We? I don't even know how many people we have, _Margaret_!"

Abby sneered as she shook her head. "Some leader." She muttered quietly to Rick.

"And does it even matter?" Gregory continued, not hearing Abby. "I mean…w-w-what are we gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? 'Cause that's what we got, they grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."

"You know, a large amount of people who joined the military tend to be farmers and ranchers, right?" Abby said cocking an eyebrow. "No one is _born_ a fighter, they're made into one."

"Abby's right." Tara agreed. "When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean people just…"

"L-let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory interrupted. "And by the way, who would train this cannon fodder?"

"I will." Sasha and Abby said at the same time as Rosita said "Give me a week."

"Rhetorical!" Gregory said sarcastically. "I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever."

"Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?" Rick asked angrily raising his voice.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." Gregory said dismissively.

"So." Michonne started as she stepped in between Rick and Gregory, probably sensing Rick's frustration and knowing full well Abby wouldn't lift a finger if Rick attacked him. "What will you do to fix the problem?"

"I didn't say we had a problem. You did." Gregory replied. "And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview."

"What the hell, man?" Daryl asked finally exploding as he marched a couple steps forward. "You're either with us, or you ain't! You're sitting over there, talking out of both sides of your mouth."

Merle put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Chill little brother, he ain't worth yer breath, none of y'all should bother. Negan's a vicious sumabitch and he's a yellow-bellied coward. He's practically Negan's dream servant, he don't got the balls to fight back."

Gregory stood up. "I... I think I've made my position clear." Gregory said quietly, apparently shaken by both Dixon's. Gregory took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And I'd like to thank you all for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or…or being seen on the way out. In other words, go out the back."

Everybody looked at Rick as he stared at Gregory for a moment, then with a nod they all walked out. Daryl lingered for a moment to glare at the man, then walked towards the door as Abby let the others walk by as she waited for him.

Once they were outside of the door, Daryl looked at Rick. "Yeah, we don't need him anyway."

"Yeah that's right." Rick agreed. "'Cause we have Maggie, Beth, Sasha and Jesus here."

"And Enid." Maggie added as the front door opened.

"Hey, um…" Enid started as she walked through the door, smiling slightly.

"What's wrong?" Sasha asked.

"Nothing." Enid said smirking. "Hey…" Enid chuckled. "Come outside."

Everyone followed her out of the door, Abby, Daryl and Merle pulling up the rear. As they stepped outside, Abby saw that a group of people had gathered in front of the building. A woman stepped forward that Abby recognized from their first visit to the Hilltop.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked.

"Hey. So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie. And I owe you all my life, twice over. A bunch of us do." Bertie started. "Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you. Is that true?"

"Yes." Maggie answered confidently.

"Do you think we can win? That we really could beat them? Us?" Bertie asked.

"I do." Maggie answered confidently again.

Bertie took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Well, Enid says you can show us the way. I'm ready."

"Me too."

"Yeah."

"Let's do this!" Several of the Hilltops members said.

"It's a start." Michonne said, sounding happy.

"We'll get more." Sasha added as they all walked down the steps, past the Hilltop resident towards the vehicle. "It still won't be enough."

"No, it won't." Rosita agreed.

"Well, we'll find the right stuff." Daryl said staying optimistic. "Then maybe we won't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground."

"Now yer speaking my language, little brother." Merle said smacking his brother heartily on the back.

"You said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors, that there were workers there." Tara said. "People who didn't have a choice."

"Maybe we can draw them to a location and bring the building down on top of them." Abby said brainstorming.

"We need to win." Daryl said.

"We need more hands, another group." Rick said. "Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us. We gotta get back."

"You don't have to get back." Jesus said. "Not yet." Jesus held up a walkie. "It's one of theirs, I got it on my scouting trip, it's long range. We can listen in, keep track them."

"So, if we're not going back, then what are we doing?" Michonne asked.

"I think it's time we introduce you to Ezekiel." Jesus said smiling. " _King_ Ezekiel."

"King?" Rick asked skeptically.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a theatrical guy but he's a good person. His community is called the Kingdom, they're a likeminded community."

"Alright, I'm going to trust you Jesus." Rick said then pointed at Merle. "You stay here, I don't need you stirring things up."

"I want to come!" Beth said hopefully.

Rick looked over at Maggie, who nodded her consent. "Alright. Sasha, keep an eye on Merle I still don't completely trust him."

"Uh, I don't think we'll all fit in the vehicle you came in if you want us all in the same vehicle." Abby said skeptically.

"Beth and Carl can sit in the back with the dog." Daryl said smirking.

Beth smacked Daryl playfully, "We still lack one seat, even if we do sit in the back."

Abby shrugged, "I'll just sit in Daryl's lap, I'm pretty sure no else will want to do that."

They all smirked as they shook their head as they walked towards the vehicle. "Or we could just take the bike and not make everyone uncomfortable." Daryl suggested.

Jesus sighed. "I suppose a motorcycle won't bother them too much."

They all went to their vehicles, Daryl and Abby climbing back onto the Harley, then they followed the SUV as Rick drove out of the Hilltop. They drove for about forty-five minutes until they came to a stop into what looked like a parking lot. The two of them climbed off of the Harley as Rick and Jesus climbed out of the SUV.

"It's called, 'the Kingdom'?" Rick asked again.

"Yeah." Jesus said shrugging, also at a loss. "I didn't name it."

"How much farther?" Rick asked.

"Well technically, we're already here." Jesus said earning him a skeptical look from Rick. "I mean, we're always here, but here we are…at the Kingdom. Well the outer edge."

"What the hell are we waitin' on?" Daryl asked testily.

"Waiting for them." Jesus said pointing behind Rick.

All three of them turned to see two men riding towards them on horseback, at a trot. "Who dares to trespass on the sovereign land of…?" The first man started saying but paused to look at Jesus. "Oh, shit! Jesus, is that you?"

"Who are all these people, Paul?" The second man ask.

"Hi, Richard." Jesus said smiling slightly as he walked towards the two horsemen. "Nice to see you."

"It's good to see you too." The second horseman who Jesus had call Richard. "Your friends, who are they?"

Jesus pointed to Rick. "This is Rick Grimes. He's a leader of a like-minded community." Jesus then indicated the vehicle as well as Abby and Daryl with one broad gesture. "And these are some of his people. We would like to request an audience with King Ezekiel."

Richard got off of his horse, pistol in hand and strolled over as Michonne also exited and watched as Richard looked into the vehicle. "Get out of the car." Richard ordered. The remaining three exited the vehicle and came around to the front of the car where Richard could see them. "You say they're a…like-minded community? Like-minded how?" Richard asked Jesus.

"We live, we trade, we fight the dead." Jesus answered. "Sometimes others."

Richard looked over at Jesus and studied him carefully. Finally, Richard nodded his head. "Line up."

"Okay. This is a waste of time." Daryl said testily again. "Come on. Let's go." Abby elbowed him, then shoved him towards where Rick stood.

"Maybe you're right." Rick agreed, earning a glare from Abby.

"The King is a busy man." Richard said patiently. "And it's a dangerous world. We don't usually allow a pack of strangers to waltz through our front door."

"He has a point." Abby agreed as she glared at her brother. "We would be just as cautious, if not worse."

"We want to make the world less dangerous." Michonne said, trying to be peaceable. "And we're all here to show the King how serious we are about that."

"The vehicles stay." Richard said. "You gotta hand over your guns."

Rick nodded to their people. "We don't have many anyways." He agreed.

Abby pulled out her pistol and held it out butt first as did Rick, Rosita and Carl, while Abby's rifle was kept in the back of the SUV and she wasn't going to hand it over unless absolutely necessary.

Richard seemed to accept this at face value as he started backing towards his horse. "Okay. Follow me."

Richard walked over to his horse grabbed the reins, then started walking off. Abby grabbed Daryl's hand and pulled him after the others as they followed after Richard, then let go as he started following willing in case they needed both hands. They followed him along a wall and through the gates, then slowed to a stop as Richard continued inside a large grand building that looked like it used to be a theatre. Everyone in their group just stopped and stared, watching the community around them.

"They definitely got the numbers." Michonne commented after a lengthy silence.

All around them people milled about, some were working in what had to be an acre of garden, a group of men and women jogging together like soldiers did on base, wearing handmade armor, other people were doing communal laundry and various other activities. This place looked so full of hope and in some ways reminded Abby of when they'd first arrived in Alexandria, like the world outside the wall hadn't gone to shit; only these people _were_ aware of it and were prepared for the bad, should it come.

"But can they fight?" Rosita asked.

"Oh, they can fight." Jesus said confidently.

"Maybe." Daryl said skeptically.

Abby stepped beside Daryl and wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned against his side. Daryl on the other hand, looked around them carefully as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and rested the other hand on the handle of his knife, body completely tense. Abby saw the moment when Tara suddenly lit up.

"Morgan!" She cried happily then trotted over and hugged him as they all turned around to see Morgan standing beside Richard.

"How do you know each other?" Richard asked, surprised.

"We go back to the start." Rick answered as stepped up beside Tara.

"Well the King is ready to see you." Richard finally said. As the others started inside, Daryl and Rick stopped beside Morgan, so Abby decided to linger as well.

"Did you find Carol? Sophia?" Rick asked.

"I did, yeah." Morgan answered.

"Where are they? Are they okay?" Daryl asked concerned for Carol's welfare as always. If she didn't know better, she'd swear they had a thing. But that wasn't it, they just had a sad connection that had made Carol and Daryl good friends, and Daryl saw it as his job to look after Carol and Sophia.

"They were here but Carol took Sophia and left." Morgan said, looking more than a little sketchy in Abby's eyes. "You know, she wasn't too happy, me following them. But when I found them, Carol had been shot, Sophia was terrified but she stuck to her mother like glue. Good kid. Anyways, it was just a graze. I got her here. They got doctors. They're good."

"Was it them?" Daryl asked.

Morgan nodded. "It was. She had crossed with some of them, and one of them followed them, tried to kill them but I stopped him." Morgan paused and looked of into the distance unhappily. "I killed him. I had to. Somehow Carol managed to get Sophia outta the situation without a graze. Carol was here. She got help. Now she's gone."

Daryl looked at the ground dejected as Rick nodded his head then walked into the building, followed by Morgan. Abby rubbed Daryl's arm as she looked him in the eye.

"I'm sure they're okay. Maybe once we're done here, you and I can go look for them, bring them home."

"Carol's such a protective mother, I don't get why she'd take Sophia outta a safe place? I don't get why _she_ needed to leave!"

Abby shrugged. "I guess she couldn't leave without her daughter. Maybe she didn't think Sophia would be safe unless she was there to protect her. As for her, she was tired of killing and I guess she thought she could get away from it if she left everyone who was important to her."

"Except she couldn't leave Sophia. Abnormally selfish of her." Daryl said with a sigh. "C'mon let's go inside."

They found everyone waiting for them then, and once they were all gathered, they walked through set of double doors into what definitely was a theatre. Everyone paused at the sight at of huge tiger as it paced around the stage, a chain wrapped around it's neck. Jesus continued walking forward, oblivious to them having stopped walking.

"Jesus!" Said a man Abby thought had to be Ezekiel, enthusiastically from where he sat on the stage in a grand chair. "It pleases me to see you, old friend!"

"It pleases him indeed." A big portly fellow with a huge axe said, trying to sound equally enthusiastic.

Carl bent in close to Abby. "Is my other eye going too or is that a tiger?"

"No kiddo, that is definitely a tiger." Abby whispered back.

"Jerry!" Ezekiel reprimanded the big portly guy before looking back to Jesus. "Tell me, what good news do you bring King Ezekiel? Are these new allies you've brought me?"

Jesus smiled slightly. "Indeed, they are, Your Majesty. This is…" Jesus turned back to them, suddenly realizing that they hadn't followed him. Looked at them puzzled, Abby didn't know what he saw but he seemed to understand what had halted them, then walked back towards them a few steps. "Oh right, I forgot to mention that…yeah, it's a tiger." He turned back and walked down the aisle once again, this time they all followed him, then spread out among the seats. "This is Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria, and these are some of his people."

"I welcome you all to the Kingdom, good travelers. Now, what brings you here, to our fair lands?" Ezekiel finally asked. "Why do you seek an audience with the King?"

Abby sat down as Daryl stood tensely, staring at the stage, then looked back at her and quirked an eyebrow as she put her feet up on the back of the chairs. Abby smirked at him slightly and just shrugged. Everyone was so serious and while it was a serious matter, she felt like someone needed to relax a little.

"Ezekiel…King…Ezekiel. Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom—all three of the communities have something in common. We all serve the Saviors." Richard looked at Ezekiel, hopefully. "Alexandria already fought them once, and we won. We thought we took out the threat, but we didn't know then what we know now. We only beat one outpost. We've been told you have a deal with them, that you know them. Then you know they rule through violence and fear."

The smile on Ezekiel's face had disappeared as he listened to Rick, then turned to a frown as he looked at Jesus. "Your Majesty, I only told them…" Jesus started to explain but was interrupted by Ezekiel.

"Our deal with the Saviors is not known among my people…for good cause." Ezekiel said as he leered at Jesus. "We made you party to that secret when you told us of Hilltop's own travails but we did not expect you to share…"

"We can help each other!" Jesus interrupted.

"Don't interrupt the King." Jerry admonished.

"We brought you into our confidence." Ezekiel continued. "Why did you break it?"

"Because I want you to hear Rick's plan." Jesus responded simply.

"And what plans have you, Rick Grimes of Alexandria?" Ezekiel asked solemnly.

"We came to ask the Kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the Saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us."

Ezekiel looked over at Shiva and petted her on the head. "What you are asking is very serious."

"Several of our people…" Michonne said as she stepped up beside Rick, her emotion showing plain her face. "Good people…were killed by the Saviors, brutally."

"Who?" Morgan asked, speaking for the first time.

"Tyrese." Rosita started, emotion plain in her voice. "Aaron. Spencer, Olivia. Eugene was taken. They took Daryl too. He escaped thanks to Abby. Every second he's out there, he's a target. You gonna say you were right?"

Morgan shook his head. "No. I'm…I'm real sorry they're gone."

"Negan murdered Tyrese and Aaron, beat them to death." Rick said to Morgan.

"Terrorized the Hilltop, set walkers loose just to make a point." Beth added.

Jesus spoke up once more, looking at Ezekiel. "I used to think the deal was something we could deal with. A lot of us did. But that's changing. So, let change the world, Your Majesty."

"I want to be honest about what we're asking." Rick continued. "My people are strong but there's not enough of us. We don't have guns—not enough, at least. Not a lot of weapons, period."

Richard looked at Ezekiel again. "We have people." He said. "And weapons. If we strike first, together, we can beat them. Your Majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse, beyond what we can handle. We set things right. The time is now."

Ezekiel was silent for a long moment, then looked at Morgan. "Morgan, what say you?"

Morgan looked between Rick and Ezekiel. "Me?" He asked.

"Speak." Ezekiel commanded.

"People will die." Morgan started. "A lot of people will die and not just the Saviors. It's…if we can find another way, we have to. Maybe it's just about Negan…just capturing him, holding him. Maybe—I…"

Ezekiel studied them for a long time, then started to rise. "The hour grows late. Rick Grimes of Alexandria, you have given the King much to ponder."

"Well, when I was a kid, uh, my mother told me a story." Rick said, trying one more time to win Ezekiel over. "There was a road to a kingdom, and there was a rock in the road. And people would just avoid it, but horses would break their legs on it and die, wagon wheels would come off. People would lose the goods they'd be coming to sell. That's what happened to a little girl. The casket of beer, her family brewed fell right off. It broke. Dirt soaked it all up, and it was gone. That was her family's last chance. They were hungry. They didn't have any money. She just sat there…and cried but…she wondered why it was still there…for it to hurt someone else. So, she dug at that rock in the road with her hand until they bled, used everything she had to pull it out. It took hours. And then…when she was gonna fill it up, she saw something in it. It was a bag of gold."

"Alright!" Jerry interrupted again.

But Rick continued like he hadn't heard. "The King had put that rock in that road because he knew the person who dug it out, who did something, they deserved a reward. They deserved to have their life changed for the good…forever."

Ezekiel looked over at Morgan then Richard. "I invite you all to sup with us and stay 'til the morrow."

Rick looked down in disappointment then up again at Ezekiel. "Yeah, we need to get back home."

Abby finally stood up again, "If I may, King Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel was half turned to leave but stopped to look at her, then glanced at Rick back at her again.

Abby smirked. "Yeah, we're related, no we're not twins. Thank God."

Rick quirked an eyebrow at her as she walked up beside him, as Ezekiel smirked slightly. "You may speak."

"Sir, I one hundred percent get your hesitation. I've lost people under my command before and it's hard but if people are given the right reason to fight, they rather die fighting then live on their knees. Which is what you're doing, whether your people know it or not. What would have happened if the world continued to sit by and let Hitler continue wiping people out? Or if we stopped after battles like Juno beach or Vimy Ridge? Most of us wouldn't be here if we had."

"Comparing Negan and the Savior's to Hitler and his army is a little steep, do you not think?" Ezekiel asked quirking an eyebrow.

Abby shook her head. "No. Even Hitler started small and he didn't start kill Jews until late in the war. He was pushing lines long before war was ever officially declared."

"I am not looking for a history lesson." Ezekiel said, starting to look unimpressed.

"Sorry, I'm preaching at you but my point stands. Negan may seem a small problem now, but at the rate he's going, he'll become a much bigger one. I've seen it happen."

Ezekiel looked at her skeptically. "Oh, you have, have you?"

"Not to the scale of world wars but I've seen minor warlords take over provinces, even countries."

"My sister used to be in the military." Rick added. "She served for ten years, had her own unit…" Rick was going to continue but received an elbow to the ribs making Ezekiel smile a little.

"I will take your words into consideration. I shall deliver my decree in the morn." Ezekiel said firmly, then banged his staff twice on the stage before turning and departing, followed by Jerry and a teenage boy who only looked a few years older than Carl, probably Beth's age.

Rick looked at her and let out a frustrated sigh. "What are our chances he'll agree to help us?" He asked Abby as the others got closer.

"Do I look like a fortune teller?" Abby asked. When Rick gave her the cut the bullshit look, she sighed. "I don't know. I don't think _he_ knows but he seems like an intelligent guy, he'll likely do the math."

"I'll talk with him more." Richard said approaching them. "I agree with you, the Saviors are dangerous and we need to fight back but I'm loyal to the King, I'll do whatever he orders me."

Rick nodded. "Loyalty is an admirable quality."

"In the meantime, I'll show you to where we dine…if you're staying." Richard studied Rick carefully.

Rick looked over at his people then looked back at Richard. "I suppose we don't have any other choice."

"This way." Richard said then guided them out of the theatre.

As they walked through the community Daryl leaned in towards Abby as they walked. "Probably a good call leavin' Merle behind." Daryl whispered into Abby's ear as they walked. "He'd probably mock the shit outta these people."

"And you very much want to, too." Abby whispered back, smiling.

"The way they act just leaves 'em wide open to insults." Daryl agreed, returning the smirk briefly before returning to his solemn expression. "They better help us or else the Saviors will make them regret not taking us up our offer."

"It's a lot to ask, especially when your people don't even know there's a guillotine hanging over their heads. War is scary. It's easier for us because we've been practically fighting since the beginning." Abby laced her fingers through his then kissed his bare shoulder.

* * *

Well? I hope you are all still enjoying my little story! As always, thanks for all the love!

-Shockra


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! Man, it's been frickin' hot this last week! I work in a warehouse where there is no A/C and is physical work...so that was fun...enjoy!

* * *

After sleeping altogether in one room and then eating breakfast in the communal eating area, they followed Richard once more as he guided them to where Ezekiel stood, watching several kids who were being taught to shoot basic bows. Abby had to say, she was a little bit impressed. The way they ran things here, seemed to be a good balance of soldiering and domestic life; the people seemed happy and looking forward to the future and yet capable of protecting themselves.

"This is life here." Ezekiel as they approached him. "Everyday. But it came at a cost. And I wanted more of this. I wanted to expand." Ezekiel turned from watching the kids shooting bows to face them. "To create more places like this. Men and women lost their limbs. Children lost their parents because I sent them into battle against the wasted when I did not need to."

"This is different." Rick said in disagreement.

"It isn't."

"It is." Rick said firmly.

"What you have here is beautiful." Abby said standing beside her brother. "But you need to fight for it and when we're done with the Saviors then we can help you get your dream!"

"The dead don't rule us." Rick said taking the opening she'd left him. "The world don't look like this outside your walls. People don't have it as good. Some people don't have it good at all."

"I have to worry about my people." Ezekiel said solemnly.

Rick turned away frustrated with Ezekiel but it was Daryl who spoke what everyone was probably thinking. "You call yourself a damn king. You sure as hell don't act like one."

Ezekiel walked past Abby up to Daryl. "All of this…came at a cost. It was lives, arms, legs." Ezekiel pointed towards a girl who sat on a stool with just one leg as she shot a bow but Daryl would not be guilted and just continued to stare Ezekiel down. When Ezekiel realized that Daryl would not look to where he was indicating, he turned and walked back to Rick. "The peace we have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. I have to try." Ezekiel turned and stepped back a few paces. "Although the Kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the King is sympathetic to your plight. I offer your friend Daryl, asylum for as long as he requires."

Abby put her hand up. "Jus so you know, Daryl and I are married so were ever he goes, so do I."

Ezekiel nodded. "Then I shall grant you asylum also." He looked back at Rick. "They will be safe here. The Saviors do not set a foot inside our walls."

"How long do you think that's gonna last?" Daryl asked, sounding peevish.

Daryl stormed off towards the gate and the others followed. Abby was about to follow as well but paused and turned back. "Look, we've had one shit storm after another so we're a little fed up the bad things in the world, but we're good people. We really are. Rick used to be a lot nicer and Daryl well Daryl's always been a little stand offish with new people but he has a big heart and like you, he's worried about our people. I'm sorry for both of their attitude's."

"I very much appreciate the apology and I also understand where they are coming from. I sympathize, I truly do." Ezekiel said sincerely.

Abby nodded then trotted after her group. By the time she'd caught up to them Daryl had reached the gate and was waiting for Rick, Michonne, and Morgan to catch up. Abby trotted right by them up to where Daryl waited with Beth, Jesus, Tara and Rosita, she had intended on giving him a kiss but he turned away.

"Alright, open it up. We're gone!" Daryl called to the guard.

Rick looked at Daryl. "You're not."

"I'm not staying here!" Daryl exclaimed, annoyed.

"You have to. It's the smartest play." Rick said. "You know it is. Try to _talk_ to Ezekiel. Or stare him into submission…whatever it takes" Abby had to turn away so Daryl couldn't see her smile, it was the funniest thing Rick had said in a long time. "I probably can't convince you to come with me, can I Abigail?"

"Like I just said to Ezekiel, where Daryl goes, I go." She said when she turned back. "But we'll at least escort you to the car so we can get our stuff and the motorcycle." Abby turned towards Richard. "We can bring it within the walls, right?"

"That will be fine." Richard said with a nod.

Richard accompanied them as they all walked to the vehicle. Beth pulled out their pack and rifle then gave them both a warm hug, which she had to force on to Daryl as he tried to shove her away but she was not afraid of a cranky Daryl. After Beth got in the vehicle with the others, Rick walked back over to them.

"You two take care of each other." Rick said.

"What 'bout Merle?" Daryl enquired.

"We'll have him stay in the Hilltop for now. I'll get Abraham to go there and look after him, make sure he behaves." Rick said.

Daryl snickered. "Don't know if those two will hit it off with their similar sense of humor or wanna kill each other b'cause of their different worldview."

Rick smirked. "Abraham will be able to handle him, he's a tolerant guy. Anyways, we'll be back soon." After giving Abby a kiss on the cheek and a hearty slap on Daryl's back, Rick climbed into the SUV.

Carl suddenly jumped out of the vehicle and ran over to Abby and threw his arms around her. "Dad just said that we'll be leaving you and Daryl here, I thought you'd still come home despite Ezekiel offering you sanctuary."

"Daryl and I had planned on goin' back with ya'll but yer daddy wants us here." Abby said as Daryl looked away.

"Well you be safe, stay away from the Saviors." Carl said firmly.

Abby chuckled while Daryl crossed his arms over his chest. "Take yer own advice, kid. And I doubt we'll stay here too long. If we can't Ezekiel on our side within the next couple of days, then we're gone."

Carl hugged Abby once more, then climbed back inside the SUV. After they'd collected their gear and brought their motorcycle inside the walls, Richard showed them where their semi-permanent home would be. Once in their room, Abby disassembled her rifle and put it in her pack while Daryl stared moodily out of the window.

"You okay, babe?" Abby asked after a time.

"What does Rick think we can do? That Ezekiel is just a coward, he won't come around!" Daryl growled. "We could be doing something more constructive then begging favors."

"I wouldn't go so far as call Ezekiel a coward. He's afraid to lose people, it's not an easy thing being a leader."

"And we aren't?" Daryl growled. "We got kids too! Maybe not so many as them but they could get hurt too!"

"I'm sure he's aware of that but he's more concerned with his people than ours."

"So he's a selfish bastard."

Abby sighed frustration. "Whatever. You're too pissed to see straight right now and I don't have the patience to deal with you right now."

"You don't have to babysit me!" Daryl snarled. "I don't need you to look after me!"

Abby's face darkened as she stood up. "And here I thought you enjoyed my company. Sorry for being such a _burden_!"

Abby saw a brief moment of guilt then saw it get buried under his anger. "Go on then! Leave! Maybe you'll get over yerself!"

" _Myself_!?" Abby asked angrily. "Take a good long look in the mirror buddy! This whole temper tantrum has nothing to do with Ezekiel or the Kingdom! It's all about you and yer vendetta!"

She turned on her heels, reefed the door open then slammed it shut as she stormed down the hall. She left the building then marched across the grass to big old oak tree, then plunked down underneath it, out of sight of their window. She loved that man like she never loved anybody before, but some days she just wanted to whack him over the head and change his disposition. Abby hadn't been sitting there for more than ten minutes before the young man who'd been in the theatre standing beside Ezekiel, walked over to her.

"Hi, I'm Benjamin." He said as he squatted down in front of her and offered her his hand.

Abby forced a smile on to her face, she couldn't let her marital discord affect how she treated people, so she shook his hand. "Abby Dixon. You seem a little young to be a King's body guard."

"Well, I'm not his body guard. He's more like…my godfather. Him and my dad were friends, and when he died Ezekiel, took care of me and my little brother."

"That was kind of him."

"Yeah, he's a kind man. Now he wants to teach me responsibility and how to lead."

"Being a leader isn't a particularly fun job. You have to have steel spine and find that fine line of loving who you lead and emotional detachment. Ezekiel seems to have the first two but he needs to learn to detach a little."

Benjamin frowned. "Why would you want to be detached from your people? That sounds wrong."

Abby chuckled. "I know and it took me a while to learn myself but it's necessary. If I didn't learn to detach myself from the men I used to lead, I'd have never been able to send them into hostile territory. On the flip side, my affection for them kept me from putting them into an overly dangerous situation."

"I guess that makes sense." Benjamin relented, but he didn't look entirely convinced.

"But I doubt you came here to hear my Yoda like advice, what's up?" Abby asked as she leaned back.

Benjamin suddenly blushed deeply. "Um, there was a girl with you guys…"

"There was several in fact, but I imagine you mean the young blonde girl more your age." Abby said smirking.

"Y-yeah. What's her name?" Benjamin finally sat on his butt and started picking grass as he tried avoid her gaze.

"It's Beth and yes, she's single. Her last boyfriend got killed by a walker…" Abby frowned as she thought. "Shit, I don't even know how long ago it was!"

"He died?" Benjamin asked looking up in shock.

"Actually, she's lost two boyfriends to walker's." Abby said frowning.

"W-what happened?"

"Don't worry, she's not a black widow or anything. The first one, Jimmy, died saving my brother and nephew from a herd of walkers. Zack, the more recent one, he was with one of our groups, scavenging a store. The roof collapsed, and it basically rained walkers. Zack got killed saving one of the members of our group who is no longer with us." Abby chuckled as she shook her head. "You know that girl has lost so much, not just her boyfriends but saw her mother and brother turn, watched an asshole shoot her father in the head…all of our friends that we lost, but she still tries to be optimistic, to fight for what's right."

"She sounds like an amazing girl." Benjamin said, blushing again.

"She is. She's a delicate flower on the outside but a bad ass on the inside." Abby said looking at Benjamin. "You should talk to her, so long as yer not a homicidal maniac. Daryl and I are kinda protective of her, she's family."

Benjamin smiled. "I'm not. You know, you're not exactly what I thought."

"And what did you think?"

"All of your friends were so serious, even Beth. Your brother and your husband even looked really angry when Ezekiel said no, I was starting to wonder if you were just another version of the Saviors."

"I wouldn't say that to Daryl. But no, we're nothing like them. Like I told King Ezekiel, we've lost a lot of people, some were very close to us. It's hard to stay optimistic and joyful after losing so much."

"You seem optimistic."

Abby snickered. "Not as much as I seem. I'm a good pretender, did it for years in the military but I am good people." Abby said then indicated the staff in Benjamin's one hand. "So why the stick?"

"Ezekiel tried get people to teach me how to shoot, how to fight with swords and spears but I wasn't very good at anything they tried to teach me. Then Morgan showed up, and Ezekiel asked him to teach me how to fight with a staff…and I'm good with it." Benjamin said then shrugged.

"Maybe it was the teacher's not the student." Abby suggested.

Benjamin shrugged again. "I don't know, they're pretty good with their respective weapons."

"That doesn't make them good teachers." Abby said as Morgan walked over to them.

"Benjamin, I need to have a private word with Abigail." Morgan said.

Abby looked up at Morgan unhappily. "I tolerate Rick callin' me Abigail because I spent the first twenty-years trying to get him to stop callin' me that and just gave up. You on the other hand, I'll beat you silly with that stick of yers and don't think that I can't. It's Abby."

"Noted." Morgan said solemnly.

Benjamin stood up, failing to keep the smile from her face. "I'll leave you two, to it." He turned and walked off.

"Where's Daryl?" Morgan asked as he leaned against his stick.

"Brooding, I would imagine. What do you need, Morgan?" Abby didn't know how to feel about Morgan. She felt sorry for him, losing his son and all but his sudden 'all life is precious' mantra was messing with the safety of her family and she really didn't like that.

"I was hoping to talk with you about the Savior's. I was hoping you could convince Rick and Daryl to see things my way. The less violent way."

Abby shook her head. "It's not that simple, Morgan. The leader of the Savior's is not likely to just suddenly play nice nor will his people just roll over and play dead if we take him prisoner!"

"You don't know that for sure." Morgan said shaking his head sadly.

"What did you do before the outbreak?" Abby asked.

"What does it matter?"

"Just answer the damn question." Abby said coolly.

Morgan sighed. "I was a cook, at my family restaurant. Why?"

"Because while you were flipping burger or grillin' steaks, I was profilin' terrorists and other scum of the earth, deciding whether or not they deserved a bullet between the eyes or not. The people who run the Saviors are bullies and opportunist's. They survive, and some probably even take sadistic pleasure in trampling over other people. They're a lot like those people I used to stare down the scope at." Abby said. "Good news is, unlike the people I used to stare at, the type of people the Saviors tend to be like, tend to be cowards. So if we play our cards right, we might be able to strike a heavy blow and several of Negan's people may jump ship."

"I imagine your plan doesn't involve talking with these people." Morgan said, his disappointment apparent.

Abby sneered. "I'm gonna kill as many of those assholes as I can get my sights on."

111

An hour later Abby was leaning against a corral that held six beautiful horses, when Daryl suddenly appeared beside her. Part of her was startled by his sudden appearance, having not heard him approach, but not surprised he'd sought her out. Part of her was in fact a little hurt that he hadn't sought her out sooner, they usually ironed their problems pretty quickly and while an hour was hardly long, Daryl usually made an attempt to smooth things over much sooner.

"Maybe we should go get Libby and bring 'er here. These people have quite the operation, they seem capable of caring for horses and other large animals."

Abby didn't respond, she wasn't willing to sweep his outburst under the rug. He tends to use her for a verbal punching bag when he was in a bad mood and she was tired of it.

Daryl leaned on his forearms and stared at his hands as he fidgeted. "I'm sorry for takin' my frustration out on you."

"Which time?" Abby sneered.

"I do take things out on ya a lot, don't I?" Daryl asked then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's not right but it's because I'm so comfortable with you and I just vent. I ain't usually mad _at_ you, just mad. I try to control it but all the shit that keeps happening to me, to us…the world just don't seem to want me to be happy."

"You weren't just venting, Daryl, you lashed out at me!" Abby said, hostility still there but it was lessening.

"I don't know where that came from." Daryl said shaking his head. "You were just tryin' to help me and I just…got mad! I love you and I want you here, I'm glad you stayed." Daryl sighed. "Maybe Merle popping back into the picture brought back some old habits back or maybe…it don't matter, I shouldn't have done that." Daryl gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him. "I'm sorry, babe. For all of it. My shitty attitude, our shitty situation, all of it."

Abby sighed as she put her hands on his waist. "You can't control the state of the world, but you can control your attitude. That goes for both of us. I know I can be pretty bossy and manipulative sometimes, maybe a bit of a know it all. I need to stop makin' you do thing's you don't want to, I don't want you to resent me."

Daryl reached up and stroked her face. "I don't resent you. I'm an asshole and I see things a little skewed and tend to stick to those views stubbornly. You need to kick me in the ass sometimes."

Abby finally relaxed, she couldn't stay mad at him anymore. She pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him deeply. "I forgive you." She breathed when they parted.

Someone suddenly cleared their throat, not far away from them and when they turned, they saw Benjamin standing there looking awkward.

"I don't mean to interrupt." He said blushing slightly. "But King Ezekiel wants to talk with Abby."

Abby looked at him shocked. "Just me?"

"Yeah, just you." Benjamin said nodding his head.

"Alright." Abby gave Daryl one more kiss, then followed after Benjamin.

He led her to a different part of town, into a beautiful garden that made Abby pause and stare in wonder. She hadn't seen something so beautiful since the outbreak.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" Ezekiel asked as he appeared from behind an apple tree.

"It most certainly is." Abby said regaining her self-composure. "Are you a gardener?"

Ezekiel chuckled as he smiled. "I am not but I do have some wonderful gardener's. I wish I could make such beauty." Ezekiel pause to gingerly cup a rose in his hand. After a moment he turned to Benjamin who stood nearby. "I need to speak with Abby a lone, could you give us a moment?"

Benjamin nodded then turned around and left. Ezekiel waited for a couple of moments then turned back to Abby.

"Both young Benjamin and Morgan have said they had interesting conversations with you. I know your brother said you were in the military but now I'm curious as to what you did." Ezekiel said as studied her carefully, his curiosity evident.

"I was a sniper in the Marine Corp, served for ten years." Abby said shrugging. "Had my own unit for the last four years that I served, did all sorts of things." Abby pulled her dog tags from under her shirt, then pulled them over her head and held them out to Ezekiel.

Ezekiel grabbed them and studied them then handed them back to her. "Impressive but I have to ask, it says King but your brother said his last name was Grimes and Morgan said Daryl's was Dixon…"

Abby chuckled. "Technically there could be many reasons, we could have different father's."

Ezekiel chuckled. "True but I find that highly improbable, the similarities are uncanny."

Abby smiled. "I was married once before Daryl, but he died. I met Daryl after the outbreak." Abby studied Ezekiel carefully. "Why are you so curious about me?"

"Morgan had many…interesting things to say about you and after the conversation you had with Benjamin, I find myself curious." Ezekiel said as he reached up and plucked a peach from one of the trees. "Morgan also said that you and some of your friends are from Georgia, that your brother used to be a Sheriff."

"True on both fronts. We left Georgia because people kept on either tryin' to eat us or just kill us, we hoped that maybe there was some semblance of civilization left here. We found a new home but it wasn't what we expected."

"And now you have to fight for it." Ezekiel said sadly.

"You could help us." Abby suggested, making Ezekiel frown. "Hey you can blame me for taking my chance to make a shameless plug."

Ezekiel sighed. "Have you had any direct dealings with the Savior's?"

"Other than killing them, no but my husband has. Daryl even saved some of them, not realizing who they were and they repaid him by nearly killing me and capturing, shooting and torturing him."

"Yes, your friend mentioned that." Ezekiel said nodding his head solemnly. "But not all of the Saviors are not like that, and I'd like to prove that to you."

"Oh? How do you plan on doing that?" Abby asked skeptically.

"My people are about to go out and meet with them, bring them our delivery. I'd like for you to accompany us." Ezekiel said solemnly.

"Trying to get me to see things your way?" Abby said cocking an eyebrow.

Ezekiel grinned again. "Maybe."

"Daryl ain't gonna like it, but I'll tell him it's recon. He ain't gonna wanna be left behind though but he can't come either." Abby said as she winced.

"No, not if the Saviors already know who he is. I'll leave him to you. Meet us by the gate in twenty minutes." Ezekiel said then dismissed her.

When Abby left the garden, she found Daryl standing not far away, waiting for her. "What he want?" Daryl asked as she walked up to him.

"To go with him on a drop." Daryl's expression darkened and she held up her finger. "Trust me, I have no intentions of letting those assholes continue lauding over us. I want to see how they operate up close, maybe get a little information. Merle said the lieutenant that overseas the Kingdom is different then the one who overseas Hilltop and Alexandria."

Daryl shook his head and looked away. "Saviors are unpredictable and vicious. I don't like it."

"I knew you wouldn't but you have to stay here, babe. I'll be fine. I promise, I'll come back in one piece not a hair outta place." Abby said wrapping her arms around his waist. "I can't promise the same for the Saviors."

Daryl sighed as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't make promises you may not be able to keep."

"Is that an okay?" Abby asked hopefully.

"It's more like a 'I know I can't stop you and I don't wanna fight right now'." Daryl pecked her on the lips. "I love you, be safe."

"Love you too, I'll be back before you know it." Abby kissed him then ran off to their room to grab her pistol and tucked the throwing knife into her boot.

Abby walked to the other side to over to where Benjamin, Morgan, Richard and a woman Abby hadn't learned the name of, waited. The woman was caring a bow and was wearing armor like she'd seen on Jerry, Richard and Benjamin and when she saw Abby approaching, she offered her hand.

"I'm Diane, you must be Abby. Nice to meet you." She said.

Abby took her hand and shook. "I am."

"Morgan says you can handle yourself pretty well." Diane stated.

"I hope so, I did pretty much walk here with my people from Georgia. You seem to operate a little like a military operation, with your guards."

"We try. Discipline and training is what keeps us a live. Something I'd think you appreciate." Richard said.

"And I do." Abby said smirking.

"Let us all get on our way." Ezekiel said as he walked over to them, followed closely by Jerry.

They all climbed into two separate vehicles, Abby travelling with Diane, and Richard while Jerry, Morgan and Benjamin accompanied Ezekiel. They drove for over half an hour before they came to a stop once more in the parking lot of a warehouse. Everyone climbed out and settled in to waiting for the Savior's to show up. Eventually, a walker's growl caught everyone attention.

"Diane." Ezekiel said.

"Got it." Diane said calmly as she looked behind her. She turned around then raised her bow, aimed carefully then let her arrow loose, nailing the walker in the head.

"Good shot." Richard praised.

"My sister had that dress." Diane said absently.

"Don't think about." Richard suggested, his face taking on a peculiar expression that drew Abby's attention.

A few minutes later, two vehicles pulled up and several men piled out. Abby eyed them carefully, while remaining casual, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. They didn't give her a good feeling, whatever Ezekiel saw in these people, he was completely wrong. The long hair, long faced weasel in particular made, her trigger finger itch.

"Nice." One man said as he walked forward stopping in front of Ezekiel. "It's getting like clock work."

The Saviors spread out in front of them, a long-haired weasel faced man taking particular interest in Richard. After an awkward silence, Jerry looked at Ezekiel.

"Now, boss?"

"Yes, Jerry." Ezekiel said sounding slightly annoyed as he stood regally with his sheathed sword out in front of him, the tip to the ground, holding it like a cane.

Jerry walked to the hatch of one of their vehicles, then opened it up, revealing baskets of watermelon and what looked like containers of gas.

"It looks a little light." The man in charge said as he inspected the tribute from a far.

"Perhaps you might want to look again, Gavin." Ezekiel suggested calmly. "We've met our obligations."

Gavin turned and walked closer to study the contents more closely. "Huh. You're right. Doesn't seem like much but eight, nine, ten. You're right."

Abby eyed the weasel carefully as he got into Richard's face, obviously looking for trouble. The weasel looked at his gun. "I want his gun." He said. "In fact, I don't think this asshole, should have a gun."

"Look in the mirror prick." Abby growled.

Weasel slowly swiveled his head to look at her. "What'd you say bitch?"

Abby smiled at him. "You heard me or is my southern drawl to fast for ya?"

"What?" Weasel asked looking genuinely confused.

"Called ya stupid, asshat." Abby said still smiling.

Weasel pointed his gun at her, the muzzle an inch from her forehead. "It'd be a shame to ruin your gorgeous face but I might have to."

Abby pressed her forehead against the muzzle and stared him in the eye, still smiling. "Psycho bitch." He growled. "You're lucky you got great tits."

In a flash, Abby pulled the slider off of the pistol then pressed release button for the clip finally stepping back with her hands up, kicking the clip away as the rest of the Saviors raised their guns and stepped forward as did the members of the Kingdom.

Gavin held his hand up to his people, then looked over at Abby. "I have to say, that was impressive. Most of my men couldn't disassemble a gun like that so quickly. Let alone doing it successfully while someone was holding it."

Abby shrugged. "Been shootin' since I was eight, ranchers kid. My daddy didn't want his daughter to get walked over."

"Aren't you afraid I'm going to kill you?" Gavin asked frowning.

Abby shrugged again. "If I die, I die. Got over my fear of death a long time ago. Never did like bullies, even when I was a kid."

Gavin looked back at Ezekiel. "Where do we go from here?"

"That's right, Your Majesty!" Richard said, giving Ezekiel a pleading look as he pointed his gun at the weasel. "Where _do_ we go from here?"

Ezekiel glared at Abby momentarily the looked at Richard. "Give him your weapon, Richard. Abby, apologize."

Richard gritted his teeth but let go of the hand grip and letting the gun swivel. Gavin and the weasel looked at Abby but Abby didn't bat an eye, she didn't care about apologies, _she_ knew she wasn't sorry.

"I apologize disassembling your gun while you held it and questioning your lack of intelligence." Abby kept her face emotionless.

Ezekiel looked at her unhappily but the weasel didn't seem to see the guised insult as he moved over to Richard, nor did Gavin say anything. He stared him down for a moment then reached up and grabbed the gun.

"Suck on it, you little shit!" Richard sneered.

The weasel swung at Richard, using the pistol as a club but Morgan struck him in the hand, knocking the pistol from his grasp before he managed to hit Richard in the head. The weasel glared at Morgan, then grabbed his stick from him, Morgan letting him take it. Weasel suddenly struck Richard in the gut then quickly bent down and knocked Richard's legs out from under him, striking Morgan in the side of the head with his follow through. Benjamin quickly knocked the weasel to the ground as both Ezekiel and Gavin shouted at everyone to stand down.

"Ezekiel, you know I can't have this!" Gavin said tiredly as Richard got to his feet and everyone stepped back.

" _We_ can't have this." Ezekiel agreed. "Richard will refrain from attending future exchanges."

"No." Gavin said in disagreement. "No, Ezekiel, you're gonna keep bringing him. 'Cause if this doesn't stop, if this starts becoming a real problem, you remember what I said? He's still batting first on the line up. Almost did it myself just now." Gavin said as he glared at Richard then looked back at Ezekiel. "Hey. I know it's not his fault but…this has got to stop. So…" He looked over at Richard again. "Things might need to get a little…visceral. Jared, get the hell up. Let's get the hell out of here."

Morgan took a step towards the weasel; whose name was apparently Jared. "Can I…um. Can I have my stick back, please?" Morgan asked as Jared stared at him in angered disbelief. "Someone gave it to me. Someone who's gone."

"Gavin, you got to let me turn up this dipshit." Jared sneered as he stepped closer to Morgan.

Abby's hand fell to her sidearm, ready to draw at a moments notice. "No! No!" Gavin said in irritation. "Just read the goddamn room, sensei!" Gavin said to Morgan with a look of exasperation. "Let's go."

The Savior's all climbed into their vehicles and drove off as everyone watched in relief as they drove off. When they were out of sight, Diane looked off at the walker she'd shot earlier.

"Yeah. My sister used to love that dress."

Abby laughed making everybody look at her. "You people make me look normal and sane!" She said shaking her head, then Abby turned and walked back to the vehicle.

The drive back to the Kingdom was largely a quiet one and when they rolled back within the walls of the Kingdom, Ezekiel walked over to her. "That is not how things normally go." Ezekiel said his face neutral. "I do not know if I should be annoyed with your actions or thank you for your intervention."

"Trust me, I _really_ wanted to kill them." Abby said coolly. "How could you not want to fight them after what they did?"

"I can tolerate a little abuse to keep my people safe." Ezekiel said his eyes cold.

"I know you want Benjamin to learn from watching you but maybe you should keep the kid away from the Saviors." Abby said looking at the kid as Jerry grinned and nudged him. "If you want to keep dealin' with those assholes, I suggest you keep him away from them. They tried to make my brother cut the hand off his own son to prove a point, I wouldn't want you to have to go through that also."

A look of horror flashed across Ezekiel's face. "I appreciate your concern, but Benjamin is practically a man. He needs to learn how to behave like one."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Abby said then walked over to where Daryl and Morgan were having a conversation.

"You okay, babe?" Daryl asked as she walked up to him.

"Like I said, not a hair outta place." She said then she kissed him.

Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled away from Morgan, obviously upset about something. Abby let herself be pulled off and Daryl only stopped pulling her when they were completely alone in an area with a bunch of flowers. When Daryl let go of her hand, he started pacing the grass, looking agitated.

"Damn bastard, what does he know 'bout Carol?" He growled.

"I imagine you mean Morgan?" Abby asked trying to see his face as he paced.

"Yeah. Said she left because she was tired of killin' people!" Daryl growled.

"She was." Abby said softly. Daryl paused and looked at her carefully. "The amount of people she'd killed was weighing heavily on her mind and she was questioning the role model she was bein' for Sophia. She came to me, asked me how I coped, I tried to help her but I guess it wasn't enough."

Daryl sighed. "It ain't right, her bein' gone, takin' _Sophia_! Why didn't she talk to me? Or even Rick?"

"You're a man, you see things differently than a woman would." Abby said shrugging. "I've had experience with killin' people, being disturbed by the things I've seen and done. I guess she thought I was the one most likely to understand her but I guess I didn't give her what she needed. Everybody deals with stuff differently."

"You think she's still around?" Daryl asked looking at her hopefully.

"I don't know, hon. Maybe she went back to Georgia or maybe she's somewhere deep in the woods." Abby said as she stepped forward and rubbed his arms. "C'mon, I'm starvin'. Let's go get some chow."

111

They next morning, Daryl kissed Abby as she laid in bed then reached around her to the ground, grabbing his pants. He climbed over her then pulled on his pants as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Stay." Abby mumbled sleepily, pawing at his bare back.

Daryl looked over his shoulder at her and smirked slightly. "I can't stay in bed any longer. This room is too small, I gotta get some air."

Abby frowned as she sat up on her elbows. "You okay? I don't know why I hadn't thought that you mighta developed claustrophobia."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "I ain't claustrophobic. I just…don't like bein' inside for too long." Daryl stood up and grabbed his shirt. "You sleep some more, you ain't had a lot of it recently and who knows when you'll get the next chance for a full night's sleep."

Abby laid back again. "What are you gonna do?"

Daryl shrugged as he buttoned up his shirt. "Wander around, get to know the place."

Daryl finished buttoning up his shirt, gave her one more kiss then left the room. Abby laid there for half an hour, dozing off and on, when Daryl suddenly entered the room again, carrying a new crossbow and grabbed the nice new hunting knife they'd found. Abby sat up and frowned as she watched him grab their second pack.

"Where you goin'?" Abby asked frowning.

"I ain't stayin' gone, Richard just asked me to help him with something and I need to keep busy." Daryl said as he walked to the door.

"You want me to come?" Abby asked throwing the blanket back.

"No, you stay in bed, beautiful. I'll be back in a couple hours." Daryl turned and left without saying another word.

Abby frowned as she stared at the door, _what were they up to_? Abby finally decided it was time to get dressed then went outside. Once again, she found herself wandering towards the horses then stood there watching them. After a time, a woman walked over to her.

"Do you know how to ride?" She asked as she stopped beside Abby.

"Definitely do. Where'd these horses all come from?" Abby asked. They had eight horses, more than she'd seen anywhere in one place since before the outbreak.

"Six of them came from a travelling old western show, which is convenient since we can shoot from them without them scaring. We found one and one of our residents show up on the other. I'm Cynthia, by the way." Cynthia said holding her hand out.

Abby shook it then looked back at the horses. "Grew up on a cattle ranch. I could ride before I could walk. Was even a junior rodeo queen."

"I did show jumping, now the King relies on me to look after them. You wanna help me exercise them? I could use the help."

Abby smiled at her. "I'd love to."

She followed Cynthia to where the horses were kept and grabbed a rope and halter before stepping into the small corral. It was too small for eight horses to live in, but that's probably why Cynthia exercised them every day. Once they each caught a horse, they grabbed some tack and saddled up the horses.

"So what'd you do in the rodeo?" Cynthia asked as they rode towards the circular sand pit that seemed to serve multiple uses.

"Technically I did ropin' and barrel racin' but barrel racin' was my thing. Probably coulda competed professionally if I hadn't gotten stupid."

"Stupid, how?"

"Traded my horse for a motorcycle and boys." Abby said grinning eliciting a giggle from the other woman.

They jogged around for half an hour before returning the horses to the corral. After they unsaddled their first horses and released them back into the corral, Cynthia immediately caught another horse and guided it over to Abby.

"Here, take this horse." Cynthia said indicating the beautiful paint mare she'd caught. "I'm pretty sure she was a barrel racer by the way she moves and turns on a dime. We got some barrels, we could probably set up a course." Abby bit her lip as she smiled. "You really want to, don't you? Okay we'll do that, we have to take the fun where we can find it, right?"

By the time they'd saddled up the two horses, another resident had put three barrels in an approximate triangle in the sand pit. Abby first warmed her horse up, getting the same sense as the Cynthia had that the mare had been a barrel racer, then got off and adjusted the barrels slightly. Once she had given herself enough room to turn around the barrels, she got back up on the horse and rode her to the far end. By then, she had started to get a small crowd, including Ezekiel, Jerry and Morgan.

The horse practically vibrated underneath her as she tied her hair back, then adjusted her stance in her stirrups. Then she put her heels hard to the mare's ribs and the mare took off like a bolt of lightening. By the times she pulled her horse to a sliding halt she was grinning ear to ear, looking around for Daryl. She remembered then that he wasn't there, which made her a little sad that he didn't get to see her, but it didn't dampen her mood.

"You look like you were born to ride." Ezekiel said, clapping as he approached her.

"I guess horses are still my happy place." Abby said smiling broadly.

"Maybe that could be your permanent position here, helping Cynthia with our herd." Ezekiel suggested.

"That's very kind of you but I have a home and when the issues are resolved, I intend to go back there. Rick will never admit it but he needs his little sister, both because of the kids and because there ain't no one he trusts more than me."

"You're loyal, I admire that." Ezekiel said smiling kindly.

"That was awesome!" Jerry said finally coming up beside Ezekiel. "I didn't think a horse could move like that."

"Horses can do many things! Why do you think it took centuries for us to stop using them? Where do you think the phrase work horse comes from?"

"That's sick." Jerry said enthusiastically. "Can you ride and shoot?"

"Pistol probably isn't that hard. I used to be able to do that with a long gun, though. Rick and I used to have competitions with who could hit the most targets in the shortest amount of time on horse back." Abby said grinning. "I always won being the more horsey one and a better shot."

"That's seriously redneck!" Cynthia said laughing.

Abby shrugged. "I'm a serious redneck." Abby said still grinning and making everyone laugh at her remark.

"You are a hard woman to read, Abigail Dixon." Morgan said smiling slightly. "One minute you're charming and sweet then the next you're dangerous and serious."

Abby shrugged. "I change with the wind, it's how I've survived so long. Adaptability."

Abby helped exercise the remaining four horses in a less exciting manner, then joined Cynthia and a couple others for lunch. She had to admit, the people in the Kingdom where easier to get along with than those in Alexandria but that might be because she was in a better emotional state.

It was just after supper when Richard reappeared, alone. Abby had been sitting on a bench near the gate, watching it for hours. Abby had already begun to get anxious as Daryl had said that he'd only be gone for a few hours and it was now more like eight. Upon seeing Richard, did nothing to alleviate her fears as his face was beaten up. When she saw him, Abby got up and trotted straight to him and looked at him worriedly.

"Where's Daryl? What happened?" Abby asked worriedly.

He looked at her like she was something strange, probably getting a little whiplash from her attitude. Yesterday she'd been a calm and dangerous Marine and now she was a worried wife.

"My face, he did this to me." Richard said, his expression fluctuating between anger and sorrow.

" _Where is he?"_ Abby growled dangerously.

Richard took a step back. "I'm sure he's fine. He left to find that woman."

"What woman?" Abby asked, her anxiety reducing only a little as her anger rose.

"Uh…Carol. He freaked out when I said her name." Richard said uncertain. He looked like he expected her to finish what Daryl had started.

Abby waved at him to leave then paced the ground as she thought about what she should do. Daryl was still an incredibly capable man but after what happened with the Saviors, she was more fearful of losing him than ever. As hard as it was for her, she decided to just sit and wait for him. It was nearly dark now and if she went to look for him, they could miss each other. Then Daryl would get anxious when he couldn't find her, and it'd be one big vicious cycle.

Abby went to their room then paced the small distance of their room for hours, choking back tears more than a few times. A couple of times she had picked up her pack, slung it on her back and nearly left to go find him but then she'd stop, tell herself to calm down, that she was over reacting, then take it off and resume her pacing. It was approaching midnight when the door opened and in stepped, Daryl looking surprised as she threw her arms around him with tears in her eyes.

"Hey." He said softly then shushed her gently as she began to cry. "I'm sorry. I shoulda come back sooner, I wasn't thinkin'."

Daryl walked her back a couple of steps, then shut the door and awkwardly slid his pack and crossbow off of his shoulder. "I'm sorry for freakin' out so much." Abby said once she'd calmed down enough. "It's just you said you'd be back in a couple hours and I know shit tends to change but…my mind started gettin' the best of me."

Daryl wiped away a few tears as he watched her guiltily. "Again, I'm sorry. I thought it would only take a couple hours but Richard didn't tell me his whole plan and when he did…"

"You beat the crap outta him?" Abby looked at his hands but the skin on his knuckles was rock hard and wouldn't split easily and Richard hadn't been beaten enough for him to do that.

Daryl sighed as he pulled her to their tiny bed. "Richard wanted us to attack a small caravan of Saviors which I was all on board for but then he wanted to guide them to someone Ezekiel was fond of." Daryl shook his head angrily. "I asked him who it was and he didn't want to say at first but eventually I did get it outta him."

Abby nodded her head as she finished drying her eyes. "Yeah Richard said you freaked out when he said Carol's name."

"Yeah well he was plannin' on leading the Savior's to her and Sophia. Thought that since Ezekiel was fond of them, it'd spur him into action." Daryl shook his head angrily. "He thought that means justified the end. Like killin' a woman and child was okay so long as we fought the Savior's."

"Did you find them?" Abby asked as she wiped her eyes.

Daryl's face finally softened a bit. "Yeah. They're good, though I think Sophia is a little lonely. She ran right up to me, hugged me, even gave a kiss on the cheek."

Abby chuckled as she put her head on his shoulder. "She's a sweet girl and she know yer a good guy. I bet Carl misses his girlfriend."

Daryl scrunched his face. "Girlfriend?"

"Yup, I'm pretty sure anyways. He started askin' me how he could tell when a girl liked him and stuff like that. Then Carol started getting uncomfortable with them being alone."

Daryl scoffed as he kicked off his boots. "They're kids, what're they gonna do?"

"I was fifteen when I lost my virginity, same age as Carl and Sophia!" Abby said as she too removed her boots.

Daryl grunted as he stood up and pulled his pants and shirt off. "Guess I'm havin' a hard time seein' her as anything other than that little girl I had to rescue from the woods."

" _I_ rescued her." Abby reminded him, then stood up and shoved him on to the bed. "You're home, and I'm tired. It's time for bed." She said as she pulled her shirt off.

"But not before a little playin' first?" Daryl asked smirking as he propped himself up on his elbows, his underwear already tented as he watched her pulled her pants over her hips.

"I think we can manage that." Abby said as she crawled on top of him bent forward to kiss him deeply.

* * *

So? I hoped you enjoyed the latest chapter!

-Shockra


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everybody! I am getting scarily close to where I've written up to but I'm also getting close to the end. I'm predicting this will end somewhere in the 20 chapter range, much like my last two stories. Hopefully I'll getter done before I catch up! Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

The next morning, Abby woke to Daryl gently shaking her shoulder. "Abby wake up, babe."

Abby groaned as she buried her face into his neck and squeezed her arms and legs around his body. He was completely entangled in her limbs and he could have extricated himself but not without waking her up. Daryl kissed the top of her head then rubbed her back.

"C'mon, beautiful. I was wanting to leave early." Daryl said softly.

"Go where?" Abby mumbled groggily.

"Back to Hilltop. I'm tired of sittin' 'round here, I wanna help prepare." Daryl said patting her back, indicating he wanted to sit up.

"Alright. Don't think there's anything more we can say to Ezekiel anyways." Abby said as she finally sat up, then reached over the side of the bed for her clothes.

They both got dressed, gathered up their things then headed outside. Morgan met them outside of the building they were staying, then tried to convince them to at least stay for breakfast but neither were inclined. So, he escorted them to the gate where their motorcycle still stood, waiting. They were just about to climb onto the back of the bike when Benjamin called out to them. They both stopped and shielded their eyes from the rising sun as Benjamin came running towards them then came to a stop in front of them.

"If I give you something, could you deliver it?" Benjamin asked blushing deeply as he fidgeted with his fingers.

Abby smiled. "For Beth, I assume?" Abby asked, eliciting a scoff from Daryl, which earned him a back handed swat from Abby in the chest.

"Y-yeah, a letter." Benjamin stuttered, making even Morgan smile. "Morgan said that you were going back to Hilltop in the morning…so I wrote her a letter."

Abby held out her hand as Daryl climbed onto the motorcycle. "I promise that I'll deliver it for you but that's all I can promise."

"That's all I'm asking for." Benjamin said then pulled out a nicely folded letter and put it in Abby's hand. "Thank you."

Abby nodded as she slipped the letter into a pocket of her pack. "Do something for me, kiddo?" Abby asked as she slid the pack back on. "Stay away from them Savior's. After what happened yesterday, you got a target on yer back and if they find out yer connection to Ezekiel, they'll use you against him."

Benjamin nodded his head solemnly. "I'll be vigilant."

Abby smiled then ruffled Benjamin's hair before climbing behind Daryl. Daryl fired up the motorcycle, then squealed the tires as he took off when the gate was opened for them. Abby relaxed her body against the warmth of Daryl's back, but her eyes and mind were very sharp as she watched the scenery around them, looking for trouble. Dead or alive. The ride was a nice peaceful two hour ride, the most enjoyable trip they'd had in a long time. A light low sitting fog making the open fields seeming like they were growing clouds. They didn't even have to stop at the gates of the Hilltop as they creaked open as they rolled up and let them in. Beth immediately came over to them smiling, followed by an awkward gaited Jack; who, like Abby, still had a cast on.

"You're back!" Beth said happily as they climbed off of the bike. "I thought you'd be staying longer."

"Rick probably wanted us too." Abby said shrugging. "But there wasn't anything else for us to do, so here we are. Oh, I got gift for you." Abby said sliding her pack off then pulling Benjamin's letter out and handed it to her. "You've got an admirer."

Beth looked at her puzzled. "An admirer?"

Daryl shook his head and rolled his eyes as he wandered off towards the house. "Yeah. His name is Benjamin. He was in the meeting we were all at with Ezekiel. The young blonde kid that was standing beside Ezekiel, holding a stick."

"Oh. Okay." Beth answered, not looking terribly pleased.

"He seems like a good kid. You should read that letter." Abby said, patting her shoulder than followed after Daryl. When she walked inside the house, Maggie was giving Daryl a hug while Glenn watched smiling. "Glenn, you're here!" Abby said happily.

"Yeah, Sasha switched places with me. I wasn't getting any further with the system, it's kinda beyond my knowledge." Glenn said coming over to Abby and hugging her.

"I'm sure you'd rather be here with your wife, anyways." Abby said as she returned the hug.

"You two came at a good time, we're training the people here on how to fight. Abby, yer particularly good at that. Merle's actually been teaching a few how to track. He's even been givin' us what he knows about the outposts." Maggie said.

"Has he been behavin'?" Daryl asked tiredly.

"Actually, he has. Called Gregory a few colorful insults, scared the shit out of Gregory. I can't say we weren't thinking something similar." Glenn said smiling.

"Glad you two haven't tried to kill each other." Abby said. Glenn, Maggie and Michonne all had legitimate reasons to hate Merle but Glenn, at least, seemed to have moved passed it.

111

"Babe, I don't want you to go alone." Daryl said as she packed food into her pack.

"It's just a quick visit. I'll be back by tomorrow at the latest…unless you're not going to let me take the bike." Abby said smiling.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Of course, you can. Why can't I come a long?"

Abby kissed him on the lips. "So you can help Maggie and Glenn and I'm not going alone. Beth is coming. I just want to talk with Ezekiel one more time. It's been a week so I figure he's had time to stew, maybe I can change his mind now that he's had time to think."

Beth came around the corner smiling. "Are we ready?"

"Yup!" Abby said as she slung her pack on her pack. She gave Daryl another quick peck on the lips then turned back to Beth. "Let's go!"

The two women trotted to where the bike was parked, climbed on then drove out of there. Abby didn't intend on going straight to the Kingdom, at least not yet. From what she gathered from her visit, Ezekiel met with the Savior's the same day at the same time, once a week and she wanted watch them and possibly tail them if she thought she could do it safely. So instead of heading for the community, she headed straight to the meeting spot.

A couple hours later, her and Beth crouched in the bushes watching the meeting going on between the two groups; it looked like it was going about as well as the last one. Jerry was on his knees having been struck in the head with Morgan's stick by weasel Jared as the others Kingdomers glared at the Savior's.

Gavin made a bit of a speech, looking very unhappy then walked over to the back of the truck to examine the tribute. Abby couldn't see Gavin speaking but suddenly, everyone raised their guns. Abby and Beth looked at each other.

"We need to get closer. Quietly and without being seen." Abby whispered.

Beth nodded and they moved around to the back side of the Saviors. They managed to get within earshot without being seen but now they couldn't see anything either.

"What's it going to be?" They heard Gavin ask. "Come on. You know the answer."

"It's fine." Morgan said trying to assure everyone.

There was a brief silence before Ezekiel spoke. "Give them your guns." He finally relented

Abby shook her head, cursing under her breath. Ezekiel shouldn't have done that, from what she saw they were fairly evenly paired and since Gavin was behind the Kingdom's men, he'd get caught in the crossfire but Ezekiel was not accustomed to fighting people so he was probably fearful and unable to think clearly.

After the Savior's had taken all of the guns, Gavin spoke once more. "We took your guns just now because things are about to get emotional." Abby tensed, _what did that mean?_ When she looked over at Beth she looked angrily at the ground.

"We have to do something." She whispered, her anger intense.

"And do what exactly? The Kingdom is unarmed, there is only two of us, and they'll get slaughtered!" Abby replied sadly.

"You're short." Abby heard Gavin say. "We said twelve, there is eleven."

"There is twelve there." Ezekiel disagreed.

"There aren't."

"Count again." Ezekiel pressed.

" _You_ count."

Abby could hear boots scraping on the ground so she assumed that it was Ezekiel walking over to the truck. "I counted them." Ezekiel said in disbelief. "I-I did! This is impossible."

"It's possible. It's real. It's happening." Gavin said. "And the problems have to end…now. You have to learn the stakes here, so you're gonna have to learn."

"You don't have to do anything." Ezekiel said starting to sound panicked. "We'll get you twice the tribute in an hour."

"Right _now_ …is the only time that matters." Gavin said tiredly. "And right now…you haven't held up your side of the bargain. After we have talked about things, over and over again and again. So we're gonna have to deal with this…right."

"Right now, as in… _right_ now?" Weasel Jared asked.

"Yeah…right now." Gavin confirmed.

There was a long pause then the sound of a gun's hammer being pulled back with another long pause.

"Just do it." They heard Richard say.

Abby bit her lip, after what he'd tried to do Carol and Sophia, she wasn't the biggest fan of Richard, but she didn't wish death on him. Especially since he was their strongest supporters.

"Okay." Weasel Jared said then the gun went off.

"No!" Morgan cried out in anguish.

"Everybody settle down!" Gavin yelled as Abby held Beth down. She wanted to jump over the barricade that they hid behind. It was all Abby could do to stay down herself, she could hear that it had been Benjamin who'd been shot by his moans of agony. Good news was, he wasn't dead.

"We need to get Benjamin back to the Kingdom!" Ezekiel said, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Give the man his damn stick!" Gavin yelled, sounding angry. Apparently the weasel had shot the wrong person. "Get in the truck! Don't say a damn word!" There was a clatter followed by a vehicle door slamming.

"We need to get back." Ezekiel pressed.

"No!" Gavin shouted.

Abby let go of Beth and slid off her back as Beth watched her with tears in her eyes. Abby dug around in her pack furiously searching. She finally found what she was looking for, her first aid kit.

"They leave, we jump the barricade and immediately pack that wound and get a tourniquet on it if we can." Abby ordered her quietly. Beth nodded her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I understand." Ezekiel growled.

"Okay." Gavin said. "Patch him up."

Abby listened as the Saviors gathered into their vehicles. She waited for them to drive off before they launched themselves over the side and ran like hell. They very nearly missed Ezekiel's vehicle but thanks to Richard staring stupidly at the Saviors truck, they appeared just in time.

"Wait!" Abby hollered as they ran. "I got Medic training, I can help him!"

Morgan opened the door. "Get in."

Beth and Abby jumped in and immediately dropped down beside Benjamin on either side. Lucky for Benjamin, he had been shot in the leg but judging from the amount of blood, they had nicked a major artery. Abby opened up the first aid kit as Beth jammed a bunch of gauze into the wound then tightened the belt that had been wrapped around his leg, even tighter.

"Okay, Benjamin. This is going to hurt, a lot, but it will save your life." Abby said as she tore the pant leg open.

As if on cue Beth shoved a piece of leather in his mouth. "Bite down on this." She said then pulled out some alcohol as Abby pulled out her smaller knife then held it out to Beth and watched while she poured the alcohol on the blade.

Abby looked around. "He's gonna thrash so I need you to hold him down, especially his leg. I don't want to make the incision larger than necessary."

Jerry knelt down and held Benjamin's shoulders while Richard and Morgan both took a leg. Ezekiel took hold of Benjamin's hands, then looked back at Abby.

"Please, save him." He begged, his voice small and close to tears as Beth poured alcohol over Abby's hands.

Abby just nodded as Beth poured more alcohol onto the wound. "Beth be ready with more gauze."

Beth nodded then reached for the now blood drenched gauze and watched Abby. Abby nodded, and Beth pulled the gauze back then waited while Abby stretched the skin and cut the wound open further, making Benjamin scream in pain. Beth immediately jammed gauze into the incision to absorb some of the blood then pulled it out to give Abby a look. Abby then grabbed a large set of tweezers' and started fishing around in the wound, making Benjamin scream once again. After a couple seconds of fishing around, she grabbed the bullet and pulled it out.

Blood came oozing out and Beth jammed gauze in there once again while Abby turned back to the kit. Her kit wasn't a basic first aid kit but one that Bob had made up once upon a time and had the appropriate items to do sutures. Abby held out a needle, which Beth again dowsed in alcohol, then Abby opened up her suture kit. Beth pulled out the gauze and Abby got her to hold the incision open then attempted to sew up the artery. After a couple seconds of fighting, she finally lifted her hands and watched the artery. When no more blood leaked from the artery, Abby took a moment to let out a sigh of relief then went to work sewing the wound shut. By then, Benjamin had passed out because of the pain but Ezekiel looked at her hopefully.

"He shouldn't bleed out for now but I'm not a physician. We should probably still rush to the Kingdom." Abby said as Beth helped her wrap the wound.

Jerry banged on the cab as Ezekiel put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you!"

Abby nodded her head. "Of course."

"I should have listened to you. You warned me but I did not listen." Ezekiel said he steadied himself as the truck took off.

Abby shook her head. "You don't know me, you had no reason to trust me or my brother. I get it. And even if you had listened to me, he still could have gotten hurt. My brother, Rick, he's a very protective father. Everything he does, he does for his kids. Carl, my nephew, I'm not sure if you saw him but that kid has been through a lot. When he was twelve, he got shot by a man hunting deer. The bullet passed through the deer into my nephew. He barely survived that. Then, a couple months ago, he got shot in the head by _another_ kid. He lost an eye but he still survived. It wasn't an accident either. Rick was right there both times, if he could have taken the bullets for Carl, he would have. The first time Carl got shot, there was no danger from other living beings, the second time there was no avoid the danger."

"Your people have been through much." Ezekiel said as he looked up from staring at the unconscious Benjamin.

"We have." Abby agreed.

"But we've only survived for as long as we have because we have each other and we watch each other backs." Beth said, speaking for the first time. "We're a family. Even when we're mad at each other, we're always there."

Ezekiel smiled at them tightly. "I imagine you came here originally to change my mind."

"We did but I'm not even going to bring it up." Abby said as she pressed her fingers to Benjamin's wrist. "I'm just happy to be able to help Benjamin here."

"And I greatly appreciate your help. You shall be rewarded." Ezekiel said genuinely.

Abby sighed as she finally sat back against the side of the truck as they bounced down the road. "I didn't do it for a reward. Kids like him and this one here." Abby said, pointing at Beth. "They're the future. If they don't survive, humanity won't around for much longer. Just look after Benjamin. That's reward enough for me."

Richard frowned the whole time as he watched her. Finally, he said. "You're a hard woman to read. I don't know what to make of you. When you were with us on our last drop you were…"

"Psychotic?" Abby suggested grinning.

"Yyyeah. When you first met us you were super relaxed, understanding. Then you marry a guy like Daryl."

"Richard!" Ezekiel reprimanded.

"No, it's fine. The story of Daryl's life. You think I'm hard to read, Daryl's even harder. He comes off as mean and menacing, kinda how he was raised to be. In actuality, he's one of the most caring and devoted people you'll ever meet. And you think he's hostile, wait 'til you meet his brother Merle."

"Merle's an acquire taste I think." Beth said. "I still can't get used to him, I have a hard time seeing how they came from the same family. Although I understand now why Daryl has some weird way of looking at things. And speaking from personal experience, both Daryl and Abby are sweet hearts. Just don't piss them off."

Abby snickered. For the rest of the short trip, they were silent; all of them staring morosely at the unconscious Benjamin. They rolled through the Kingdom's front gate and didn't stop until they reached a two story building. Morgan opened the door as Richard and Jerry gingerly lifted Benjamin off of the floor as Abby and Beth stepped aside and watched as they carried the now very pale Benjamin inside. Ezekiel started to follow them but stopped momentarily to touch Abby's arm.

"Please, remain in the Kingdom so I might talk with you further." He pleaded.

When Abby nodded, he turned and quickly followed in his people's wake. When Abby looked over at Beth, she was staring at the pool of blood at their feet.

"He seemed handsome but I don't think I should get involved with him, he'll most certainly die then." She said quietly.

Abby frowned as she studied the girl. "What do mean?"

"Everyone who cares about me, dies. It's inevitable." Beth said. She didn't sound sad but said it in a matter of factly tone.

Abby's frown deepened. "That's not true! You still have Maggie, Glenn, Daryl and me as well as the other's! We're still here."

"It's only a matter of time. I mean, you've nearly died like three times in just the last six months. It's a wonder you're still walking! Maggie and Glenn have both nearly died too."

Abby shook her head. "That's got nothing to do with you. Everyone has lost someone! I mean, I've lost my first husband, my sister in-law and a baby, nearly lost the love of my life too but it don't mean we're cursed! I mean the world is a dangerous place, even more than before, that's all."

"How do you do it?" Beth asked. "How do you let yourself feel so deeply when you could lose those people at any moment? I don't want to let any more people in because it'll just be another cut that won't heal."

Abby wrapped her arms around Beth and hugged her tightly. _Poor kid_ , she thought. "It's not easy but it's _because_ I have Daryl that I'm still sane. He makes me feel happy and loved, gives me hope even when things get bad. I can only hope I do the same for him. I know there's a very real chance that I might lose him but at least I had him, even if it was for a short time. Having a little of something is better than none of something, especially when it comes to love."

"But it hurts, so much." Beth said looking at her toes, sounding close to tears.

"It does." Abby said with a sigh. "If you're having a hard time with finding a reason to keep going, then use what you still have. That's what this is, right? Questioning why you should keep going. Wondering if you should finish what you started back at your family farm." Beth didn't move a muscle, but Abby knew she was right. "Your sister might be tough but she needs you now, more than ever. She needs someone to help her make it to the end of her pregnancy then she needs you to help her raise her baby and help her keep her husband alive. That's what kept me going this whole time. Rick is tough but he needs me, Carl needs me, Judith needs me and so does Daryl. I might not need to kick ass for them all the time but sometimes they just need me to be there, to give them a hug and tell them everything will be alright."

Beth sniffled as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "Thank you, I needed that today. I've just been missing people a lot lately. My brother, mom…daddy, I keep seeing daddy kneeling on the ground as that man shoots him in the head."

Abby rubbed her arm. "You never cried about it, you never properly grieved, you never had a chance. Maybe that's catching up with you."

"I told myself that I wouldn't cry anymore, that I'd just move on…" Beth suddenly looked up again. "Why can't I just stop feeling?!"

"Feeling lets you know you that you are still living and that is a _good_ thing." Ezekiel said startling them both as Beth turned away to collect herself. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to overhear. What is your name, young one?"

Beth wiped her eyes as she turned. "Beth."

"The world has been unkind to you and I am sorry. Won't you stay in my beautiful Kingdom? May it be a boon for your tortured soul."

"I can't, I have go back." Beth said tiredly.

Abby put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe King Ezekiel is right. Maybe staying here will help you heal a little."

"What about Maggie? Glenn? The _Savior's_?" She asked frowning.

"Leave it all to me, kiddo. I'll make sure it's all taken care of and when you're ready, you can come back."

"What about you and Daryl? Who'll look after you two?" Beth asked worriedly.

"We look after each other pretty well and Rick still worries after me like a mother hen. Daryl and I, we owe you so this is the least I can do for you."

"I didn't do anything."

Abby smiled at Beth fondly as she put a hand on her cheek. "You did plenty. Now why don't you go wash off? King Ezekiel and I need to talk."

"Jerry, show young Beth where she can sleep and wash off. We will be in the Royal Garden." Ezekiel ordered as he looked over his shoulder to where his shadow stood a little back from them.

"Sure thing, boss!" Jerry replied as he stepped forward, then indicated for Beth to follow. "C'mon blondie, I'll show you around."

Beth walked off as Ezekiel led Abby towards the garden. "How much did you hear?"

"I happened to hear something about you losing a child, my deepest condolences. I didn't wish to interrupt, it seemed like she needed to hear what you had to say." Ezekiel said softly.

"Beth is a great kid but she struggles sometimes. Her family was everything to her, she had two brothers and a sister. Both her parents died right in front of her, so did her one brother, the other is just gone and now all she has is her older sister. We've lost a lot of people on top of that, some she had gotten close to. She's lost the will to live before, I'm worried she might be thinking about taking her own life."

Ezekiel looked at her somberly. "I shall personally keep a close eye on her."

"She's a farm kid, looking after livestock, especially the horses, might be a good distraction for her."

"Noted. You care for her considerably, don't you?" Ezekiel observed.

"When you've survived things with someone…well, she's become like a little sister to me and there ain't nobody more important than family." Abby frowned as they stepped into the garden. What had once been a beautiful garden was nothing more than heaps of foliage on the ground. "What happened?"

Ezekiel sighed sadly. "I am told it was weevils. It had not spread to the rest of the garden but my gardener felt it necessary to prevent it from spreading. 'Tis sad but necessary, it can be replanted." Ezekiel planted his sword in front of him. "Tell me, what is your plan for our friends?"

After an hour long talk with Ezekiel, he promised her to help but he wasn't ready to give open support. He'd supply them with food and weapons to the best of their abilities, spy on them when they could, which was better than he'd promised previously. Abby was confident though, that he was going to break and offer his full support, especially after what had happened to Benjamin.

After her conversation with Ezekiel, Abby sought out Beth and surprisingly found her watching over the now sleeping Benjamin and keeping Benjamin's younger brother company. Abby watched her for a moment while she sat with Benjamin's brother, teaching him how to play chess, laughing as they talked. When Abby talked to her, Beth seemed willing to stay in the Kingdom at least for a week or two, as a sort of vacation. Abby gave her a tight hug then left the Kingdom to go seek out her bike, which had been left behind when they'd rushed Benjamin to the Kingdom. Abby sat on her bike and considered where she wanted to go for a moment, then lifted her kick stand and drove off.

Daryl had told her where he'd found Carol and Sophia, the day he'd disappeared, so she decided it was her turn to visit them. When Abby rolled up in front of the house, she first saw Sophia peek out of the window, waved at her enthusiastically, then disappeared. A moment later, she appeared in the doorway as Abby climbed off of her bike and walked to the four foot tall steel gate. As she stepped in and closed the gate behind her, Sophia ran down the path and threw her arms around Abby as she turned back.

"Hey, kiddo!" Abby said wrapping her arms around Sophia and returning the hug. Even in the short couple of weeks that she'd been away, she was shocked with how tall she'd gotten, she couldn't rest her cheek on the kids head anymore.

"Abby!" Carol's voice came from the door, it didn't sound happy but distressed. When Abby looked up she saw Carol marching down the path towards her. "Is it true?

Abby frowned as both Richard and Morgan appeared in the doorway as Carol came towards her. "Is what true?"

"That _Tyrese_ is dead! That Aaron is dead! That the Savior's _tortured_ Daryl!" She exclaimed.

Sophia suddenly looked up at Abby, eyes filling with tears. Abby stroked her face then looked up at Carol. "Yes, its true." She said quietly. Sophia put her face into Abby's neck as tears appeared in her eyes.

"Why didn't Daryl say anything to me when he was here?" Carol asked, tears coming to her eyes also.

Abby walked awkwardly forward with Sophia still clinging to her waist then turned Carol and pushed her back towards the door. Once they were inside, she sat Sophia and Carol on the couch then crouched down before them.

"Daryl saw that you needed some peace, time to heal. He'd intended on telling you the truth when he showed up but when he saw you, he just couldn't. He wanted you to be happy and he knew that if he told you, it'd ruin the small amount of peace that you had."

"But your people need you now." Richard said from behind her.

Abby's face darkened as she stood up and faced him and Morgan. "You worthless sack of shit!" Abby snarled. "You came here for your own selfish reasons! You don't give a damn about these two! A week ago, you were willing to lead the Savior's _straight to them_! They were just sacrificial lambs to you!"

"What?" Morgan exclaimed in shock.

"I was trying to motivate the King! We need to fight the Savior's and I was willing to do anything to get the Kingdom to join the fight." Richard exclaimed in defense, like it would make his actions forgivable.

"No one life is worth less than another! I'd never sacrifice any one of your people, that just makes you just like the people you want to destroy." Abby sneered.

"I am nothing like them!" Richard growled as he frowned.

Abby laughed mirthlessly. "You keep telling yourself that. You should leave before I decide to put you into the ground."

Richard raised his hands as Carol stepped up beside Abby, a gun raised. "I agree, don't you dare show your face here again." She said calmly but her voice was so cold, it sent a shiver down even Abby's spine.

Once Richard was gone, Morgan looked at the two women. "I had no idea. I just…I just wanted to get revenge for what happened to Benjamin." Morgan suddenly looked to the side. "He said he'd do anything and Ezekiel was certain that we had everything but we didn't, that's why they shot Benjamin. We stopped because the path was blocked. Maybe he…" Morgan suddenly turned and left.

"Should we follow him?" Sophia asked watching him march down the sidewalk.

"No. Come, Sophia, we're going to go talk with King Ezekiel." Carol said stuffing her pistol into it's holster.

"What are you going to do?" Abby asked as Carol then put a backpack onto Sophia's back, grabbed a bag then her daughters' hand.

"You need the Kingdom to fight, right? Ezekiel likes me, I'll convince him."

Abby sighed. "You don't have to throw yourself into the thick of it again."

"I left and one of my closest friends, died, the man who saved my daughter. Then nearly lost my _closest_ friend, your husband." Carol said. "I can't stand on the sidelines anymore. Go home, Abby. Help make plans so we can destroy those people."

Abby sighed then nodded her head. She followed them to the door then watched as mother and daughter walked down the path then out of the gate.

111

Over the next couple of days, Abby helped train the people of Hilltop to fight, while both her and Daryl helped make plans. Merle seemed to have seriously mellowed out since they'd left, he was almost agreeable, and that coldness had softened. When Abby asked Daryl if Merle was alright, he told her that Merle was just tired of fighting, tired of watching people younger than him, die. He was starting to feel his age and he just wanted it done.

Abby was helping weed the garden when the gate opened and turned to see what was happening, then saw Rosita step in. Rosita stopped and looked around for a moment as the gate closed behind her, then asked the nearest person something, who then pointed in Abby's direction. Rosita walked straight to her then stopped at the edge of the garden and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

Abby stood up, peeled off her garden gloves then followed Rosita in between the buildings. Rosita stopped when they were out of sight and leaned against the side of one building as she put her pack on the ground.

"I need your help." Rosita said looking unhappy.

"With?" Abby asked.

"Assassinating Negan." Rosita said simply then pulled out a disassembled sniper rifle. "I found this."

"I got my own." Abby said cocking an eyebrow. "Why the sudden need to kill Negan?"

"Why aren't _you_ in a hurry?" Rosita asked in disbelief. "He captured and tortured your husband, tried to make Rick cut his own sons hand off, killed a bunch of our friends, and will probably kill more if we don't do something."

"You're right." Abby said leaning against the wall also. "But running off half cocked isn't the right thing to do."

"Only you can do that?" Rosita sneered.

"I didn't run off half cocked." Abby said glaring. "I'm a very calculating person, and I process shit faster than the average person. Makes me look impulsive but in reality, I tend to have things figured out faster than other people. I watched Sanctuary for almost _two_ days before getting close to it, scouted the halls in the dead of night on the third then pulled Daryl out that morning. They didn't see me going in and they didn't see us leave."

"And that's why I need your help. You're already knowledgeable of the layout, you know how they operate and you're skilled in stealth and infiltration." Rosita said. "I'm not doing this half cocked either."

"A sniper rifle isn't the way to handle this." Abby said with a sigh. "That's like kicking the bee's nest. You wanna kill Negan, you gotta do it quietly. Suffocate him while he sleeps, slip him some poison and then you gotta kill his lieutenants or turn 'em against each other. That's the only way your assassination attempt will yield any positive results for us."

"And how do I do that?" Rosita asked, looking like she was actually listening.

Abby sighed. "You can't just do that in one day, it isn't the instant fix you're looking for. That takes planning, watching, waiting…patience. It would take _days,_ even _weeks_!"

"She's right, princess." Merle said coming around the corner. "Negan's well protected, you can't walk in and do all that shit unless you're Houdini. And I agree shootin' him won't accomplish nothin'. Then Simon would step in and that guys almost worse than Negan…although he is stupider."

"You wanna do your part? Help us train these pansies, whip them into something that resembles soldiers." Abby said.

Rosita scoffed as she straightened up, picked up her pack, shoved her rifle into her pack, then walked off. "Don't think she heard ya." Merle said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.

"I'm surprised you see it my way." Abby said as she watched him. "I would think you'd want Negan dead ASAP."

Merle shrugged. "Tired of watchin' people dyin'. She's young, got many years in front of her if she ain't stupid." Merle took a drag from his smoke as he inspected her carefully. "I'm gonna ask you somethin' that might get you upset. I'd ask Daryl but he jus' get mad and not respond or even try an' take a piece outta me."

Abby looked at him suspiciously. "Okay."

"Jus' been thinkin' 'bout Daryl's outburst when you were hurt, some of the stuff he said, then some of the stuff I heard ya sayin' when you had me hog tied in the back of the RV. Did you get knocked up or somethin'?" Merle asked as he continued to watch her carefully.

Abby took a deep breath and steeled herself as she looked him in the eye. "I was. I miscarried at about twelve weeks."

Merle suddenly looked deeply saddened. "Shit. What happened? I get a sense that something actually happened."

Abby nodded. "Several things, really. Did Daryl tell you what happened to the prison?"

"Yeah. Said Martinez somehow survived the big boom, found himself some new buddies and rolled up at your front door with a tank. Wanted to evict ya'll and take it over for themselves but ended up blowin' the shit outta it." Merle shook his head. "Martinez never was a bright one."

"After that we all got split up." Abby said as she slid down to the ground. "Daryl, Beth and I got out together. We tried to find the others but we just found dead people. I got pregnant like six or seven weeks before the prison fell but we didn't find out until a week after. We were constantly runnin' from walkers, I think we musta been in the middle of a big herd. Barely slept, only had a little bit of food but somehow, I kept that baby alive. Then, after we found the others, we'd holed up in this church for the night and I went outside with Jack, our dog. We were up by the road when this car came barrelling down, I stepped down into the ditch but the asshole steered right into me, hit me. They stopped then tried to drag me into the car, so they could drive off with me, but Daryl noticed me gone and Jack was going nuts, tried to protect me. Daryl killed the one guy, captured the other. That's when I lost the baby…" Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, surprised with how calm she was but the emotions were starting to well up. What surprised her even more, was Merle putting a hand on her shoulder as he squatted down in front of her and watched her. "I didn't handle it too well, cried real hard at first then basically shut all emotion off. Shot the other asshole in the head while he was tied up. I was basically numb right up until we found Alexandria. Daryl…I think he took it pretty hard too but he kept it in, took it out on walkers."

Merle shook his head as he finally sat down beside her. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. Do you know why they tried to take ya?"

"It's what they did. They lived in a hospital in Atlanta. Had all the supplies and a doctor. They injured people, brought them back to the hospital, saved them then basically enslaved them. Probably what they planned to do with me."

"Shit." Merle shook his head angrily. "Wish I _was_ there! Woulda torn them a part!"

"I'll be happy if you help us with the Savior." Abby said with a sigh. "Maybe Daryl and I still can have another but the Saviors need to be dead first."

Merle rubbed his stub; his apparatus being repaired by the Hilltop's blacksmith. "We'll get 'em dead. The workers will rise up once they realize that Negan can be defeated."

Abby chuckled as she put her head back against the wall. "I like marshmallow Merle much better than asshole Merle."

"I ain't no marshmallow, girl." Merle growled.

Abby grinned as she lifted her head and looked at him. "You sound like Daryl. He hates it when I call 'em that too."

"We Dixon's ain't soft. We're as hard and unfeelin' as a stone." Merle growled as he got to his feet.

"Yer both tough, I'll give you that but when you love, you love deeply." Abby said smiling. "That's a good thing. Look how devoted you are to each other. He'll do almost anythin' for you, as much as he'll deny it. That's what loyalty is, you know, another form of love."

Merle grunted. "I wouldn't say he'd do anything. You're definitely more important than me, same with yer so called family."

"I'm his wife, so yeah he loves me. A lot. But I don't know 'bout the others. Maybe Rick or the kids. Maggie, Glenn, Beth and Michonne are all pretty important to him too but I think it'd depend on what it is, whether he'd chose you or not. And you know, Daryl ain't blind, if he thought I was doin' something wrong or stupid, he'd tell me. Stop me. He ain't as much of a pushover as you think he is. He stands up to me. If anybody's a pushover in our relationship, it's me."

Merle chuckled as he turned. "Later, lil' sister."

Abby cocked an eyebrow as Daryl appeared around the corner. He looked at his brother's retreating back then looked at Abby as he sat down beside her, replacing Merle.

"Did he say _sister_?" Daryl asked then shook his head. "Guess ya are his sister in law."

Abby kissed his shoulder then rest her head on it as Daryl started sharpening his knife. When he was done with his, he pulled hers out of its sheath then started sharpening it. The whole time, they just sat there in peaceful silence. After half an hour, there was a sudden loud banging as Kal thumped his spear on a metal pipe.

"Savior's are coming!" Kal called.

Abby and Daryl were immediately on their feet as Merle skidded around the corner, grabbed Abby's arm and dragged her off towards a section of wall. He skidded to a stop by a stack of wood, knocked the top couple off then lifted the lid.

"Get in!" Merle exclaimed as she peered down the hole. "It'll take us outside the wall."

Abby climbed down the hole, then was followed by Daryl then Merle then was enveloped in darkness as the hatch was shut. Abby blindly felt her way forward until the tunnel came to an end. Daryl bumped into her as she felt along the wall, then found a ladder and started to climb. When the ladder ran out, Abby pressed her forearm against the surface over head, lifting it only a couple inches as she carefully inspected the surrounding area, then lifted it as far as it would go as she climbed out. She held the trap door open as first Daryl then Merle climbed out, then let it drop.

"How'd you know 'bout that?" Abby asked as she looked around them.

"Helped them build it. Your girl, Maggie's, idea. Figured Gregory would give 'em up the second he got a chance. Plan is, when those the Saviors show up, we all ditch. Your friends should be behind us, unless they can't reach the hatch in time."

"C'mon, let's lay low." Daryl said then headed off further into the woods.

Between the three of them, they had three knives and three pistols but Abby's was the only one with a silencer. If they needed to protect themselves, they would more than likely be okay. They hunkered down behind some bush that prevent others from seeing them easily, but they could still watch the front gate as they waited for the Saviors to leave. They sat there for only ten to fifteen minutes before they heard vehicles, and when they all focused on the gate, they saw three vehicles leave.

"That was Simon's truck." Merle mumbled quietly as he pointed to the jacked up three quarter ton truck in the lead.

"And it had Dr. Carson in the back." Daryl muttered in irritation.

"Probably bringin' him back to Sanctuary." Merle said, equally irritated.

Daryl frowned. "But they got a doctor!"

"They _had_ a doctor. Probably did somethin' to piss Negan off." Merle said as he straightened up, no longer concerned with being seen. "C'mon, let's go back inside."

111

Abby and Daryl kissed and cuddled inside their tent that was pitched out behind Barrington house, away from everyone else. They could've stayed in the house but neither Abby nor Daryl were terribly fond with the idea of staying under the same roof as Gregory. After a while, Daryl laid on his back pulling Abby close to his side with one hand while lifting her hand with the other and fiddling with her fingers.

"Can't believe Gregory let them take Dr. Carson." Daryl murmured unhappily.

"He didn't exactly have a choice but I think that was the last nail in the coffin for him. The man is on the verge of losing his power." Abby said pressing her forehead against his chin.

"Good. Wonder who'll take over."

"Probably Maggie."

Daryl grunted. "Funny how our people keep taken over leadership."

Abby chuckled. "Yeah, really though." Abby suddenly frowned as a thought crossed her mind. "I hope Rosita is okay. Hopefully she went back to Alexandria not Sanctuary."

"I hope so too but I'm pretty sure she went to Sanctuary." Daryl kissed her hand then laid it on his chest.

"Where'd this come from anyways? She didn't loose anybody close." Abby was annoyed with her for trying to make Abby feel like a bad person. Of course, she wanted that asshole dead, but she wanted to do it rationally and she wanted to end the tyranny. Killing just Negan probably wouldn't end that.

"Heard she was hookin' up with Spencer." Daryl said making Abby look at him surprised. "What? People don't always notice me. Heard Tara and Denise talkin' 'bout it when I was out havin' a smoke. Maybe she's upset 'bout that or maybe she's just angry and wants to take it out on someone."

111

The next morning, Abby was training some of the more skilled people in advanced hand to hand, with Beth being her punching bag, when someone once again banged on the metal pipe. Abby and Beth tensed while they considered running for cover but then the guard called "It's Rick!"

After they let out a sigh of relief, they ran to the gate to see Rick roll through the gate in the RV. As Rick put the RV in park Daryl came up beside her as Merle, Maggie, and Glenn joined him. Rick seemed a little surprised to see Daryl and Abby as he walked out but he didn't make a comment as he stepped forward and hugged Abby. Once he finished hugging her he stepped back.

"I need to talk with ya'll. Tara told me an interesting piece of information that might help us against the Savior's." Rick said.

They all went to gather around the picnic table as Glenn gathered other Hilltop residents who might help. Rick brought with him, Tobin and a couple other Alexandrian's along including Carl, Tara and Michonne. Once they were all there, Rick finally started his speech.

"Last night, I was brought an interesting bit of information. There are people out there, potential allies and potential resources." Rick said as he looked around. "Today, we plan then tomorrow, we go meet our new friends."

* * *

Off to Oceanside we go! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm always glad to hear your feedback! Thanks for all the love I've received so far!

-Shockra


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! Sorry that I'm a day late posting! I won't babble today, so enjoy!

* * *

Abby leaned against Daryl slightly as they both stood behind the driver seat of the RV as they drove down the road. Daryl was apparently in a generous mood today, as he let Merle drive their motorcycle, making Merle's day even though it was a little awkward for him to steer with his missing hand. Rick was behind the wheel the RV as they drove at the head of their little caravan, heading for a community Tara had called Oceanside. She had accidentally encountered a community of all woman who'd once been under the Savior's thumb. The community had tried to fight back against the Saviors but had failed, their punishment being the death of every male in their group. They had managed to escape from under the Saviors thumb in the dead of night and now killed everyone they came across. Tara had been lucky that there had been at least one person who'd been against that frame of mind and that one person had found her, unconscious, on a beach.

"You haven't told me where you want me." Abby said as they continued down the road.

"That's because I haven't decided." Rick said then reached over to Michonne. "Michonne has been practicing shooting with a sniper rifle, she starting to get pretty good."

"No where's close to your level, of course." Michonne added.

"Very few people are." Daryl muttered from behind Abby, one hand on her hip the other holding on to the racking, keeping them both upright as they RV bumped down the road.

"There's also some laying down of explosives, you an expert in both fields." Rick said.

"I'm not an _expert_ with explosives, I'm just familiar with them and from what you told me Daryl and Merle are more than capable of handling that. You don't have to put me up in a nest or some other crucial spot, I can do something less important." Abby suggested.

"Are you saying you want less responsibility?" Rick asked cocking an eyebrow as he looked at her with rear view mirror.

"Not necessarily. Just...let other people have a chance to step up."

Rick sighed. "You're probably right, its just easier relying on you. I know you'll do everything in your power to get things done."

"Family is always easier to trust, especially when they're like Abby." Michonne said smiling.

"Hey, I got a question." Carl asked from behind Daryl and Abby.

"What is it son?" Rick asked looking at his son's reflection.

"If we have all those guns back at the base, why are we taking these peoples guns?" Carl asked.

Rick had told more of their people about the base but it was still a secret that only a very select few knew about. They had yet to figure out how to utilize their secret fortress. Abraham hadn't been able to unlock the big guns and even if he had, they only had a very limited amount of ammo and running the guns took a lot of juice, not to mention they were only good if the base was attacked. It also took a good twenty minutes to get the operating system up and running and they couldn't afford the energy to leave the guns hot.

"We don't want to be giving our best guns to people who could potentially turn on us." Abby answered.

"And once we're done with the Savior's, we'll give Oceanside some of our nicer guns, so they'll benefit long term." Rick said as he continued to look at his son's reflection.

"I know I never met those Scavenger people but from what you've said, they sound sketchy." Abby said as she frowned at Rick's reflection.

Rick sighed. "I don't trust them either but we need their numbers. I know you think that the Kingdom is going to help us but if they don't, I want to be sure we still have the numbers."

Tara suddenly appeared beside Daryl and Abby. "We're here." Tara said, pointing to a blocked off bridge. "That was the last place I saw Heath."

"Don't dwell on it." Rick said as he pulled the RV over to the side of the road. "There's nothing you can do or could've done."

The other vehicles pulled up behind them and they all got out. In total they had about sixteen people, including Abby and Daryl. The plan was simple, set explosives on one side of the community to send their prey towards them, then they would surround them, give them Rick's sales pitch and hope they joined them. If they didn't, they'd take the guns and leave. First, though, Tara would sneak inside, talk the Oceanside's leader and hopefully settle things peaceably with no explosions or threatening involved. If she couldn't convince Natania within Rick's allotted time, they'd set the rest of their plan in motion.

Rick left it up to Abby to go where she wanted to go and opted to assist Michonne with watching the perimeter, mainly acting as back up while teaching Michonne a few tricks of the trade. They walked together with Rick, as Rick and Michonne had a quiet conversation while Abby looked for a good look out.

"Here." Abby finally said, pointing up a tree.

Rick nodded, then cupped his hands and indicated for Michonne to step up. "Once you're up, watch for a signal." He said as he lifted her up.

Michonne grabbed the bottom branch, then looked down at Rick. "What time does the clock start?"

Rick glanced back at Abby then back to Michonne. "You good?"

"I'm good enough." She replied.

Rick nodded, then watched a moment as Michonne shimmied up the tree then cupped his hands once. "C'mon, baby girl, your turn."

Abby put her foot into his cupped hand then reached for the same branch that Michonne had grabbed and pulled herself up. Abby couldn't help but note that Rick grunted a lot louder when he hoisted her up, she knew she wasn't overweight by any means but a woman couldn't help but notice such things. Michonne found herself a semi-comfortable spot, then settled her back against a tree.

"What was that about?" Abby asked as she too tried to get comfortable.

"What?" Michonne asked, looking at her confused then peered down her scope in the direction of Oceanside.

"Rick is concerned about you, why?" Abby clarified.

Michonne sighed. "When you and Daryl were at the Kingdom, Rick and I went looking for guns to give to the Scavengers. We found this old carnival grounds that was swarming with walkers that had been soldiers. A lot of them still had their guns, so Rick and I decided it was worth the risk. We hatched this plan, that worked about as well as a plan can these days but eventually we had to split up to deal with the remaining walkers separately.

"While he was deal with his group of walkers, Rick got this stupid idea in his head. The first time the Saviors showed up, I'd gone out to practice shooting, I figured I need to get better at shooting, make myself more useful, and ended up shooting a deer. When I came back, Rick made me give it up to the Saviors…I wasn't terribly impressed. When we were dealing with the walkers in the carnival grounds, he saw a deer and decided he needed to get it to make it up to me." Abby chuckled as she shook her head, she could see Daryl doing that for her too.

"I didn't see the deer," Michonne continued "all I saw was him climbing that damn Ferris wheel, but it was badly rusted, and the metal gave out under him. He…he fell, right into the middle of a group of walkers and I thought the walkers had gotten him." Michonne looked down momentarily, the despair that she'd felt, apparent on her face. "I thought he was dead, so I dropped my katana…I just gave up…I couldn't." Michonne inhaled deeply then let it out. "Next thing I knew he was next to me, picking my katana up and handing it too me…I was so scared."

Abby looked darkly in the direction of Oceanside, she'd nearly lost her brother and she hadn't been there to protect him. "Being in love has always had its challenges but now days, its even harder. People die all the time, so most people have a hard time letting new people in and being in love is even harder. If I hadn't fallen in love with Daryl so early on, I don't know if I could let any one in like I have let him. Losing him would be like losing a large portion of myself, that's why I did what I did."

Michonne nodded her head. "You did what you had to. I'd like to think I'd do the same for Rick, if things had been reversed." Michonne sighed. "I feel like I should be mad at him for scaring me like that but life's too short to be holding on to anger. Still, it shook me up a little."

"Understandably. Daryl and I both have a hard time being away from each other for more than a few hours and that was even before we came to Alexandria, now its excruciating." Abby said truthfully.

Many people had commented with how much time they spent together, even their closest friends seemed to have a hard time understanding why they wanted to spend all their time together. Those who'd knew them longer probably noted the difference from when they lived in the prison and the time before the prison, when they could seemingly go days without barely seeing each other. After the fall of the prison and the domino effect of the events that followed, had left them terrified of losing each other which made them equally clingy.

"You've both been through a lot and we've all lost a lot of friends, it makes you cherish the time you've got with the people you love."

Suddenly an explosion went off in the distance, cutting their conversation short as they both focused on their task. For the first time in a long time, Abby acted as the spotter for Michonne. They both watched as the main part of the community ran off in the direction that Rick had set up his ambush, while a handful of the woman ran towards the shed with the guns in it. Michonne fired at their feet bringing them to a stop as Daryl, Glenn and Merle emerged from the trees, guns raised. They couldn't hear the voices, but Abby could see them shouting at the women to get on their knees and put their hands up.

Once they complied, Daryl pulled the rag from his back pocket and whirled it around, above his head; the signal to them that they had the shed secured. Michonne shifted her view to where Rick was supposed to be with the others, surrounding the remaining members of the community. Abby kept her scope on Daryl and the others as they walked the two women over with the rest of the group, then carefully surveyed the crowd looking for any one who was stupid enough to get an idea but from what she saw, they felt defeated. Abby zoomed out as Rick talked to the community as the knelt down and watched him with fear. Rick suddenly stopped talking as he focused on a direction, when Abby looked to where he was looking, she saw an older woman holding onto the collar of Tara with a gun to Tara's head.

Tara looked right at Michonne and shouted "Michonne, don't!"

"She just said Michonne." Abby said quietly.

"Give her a chance." Michonne replied, not even glancing away from her scope.

As they continued to watch the younger girl who stood behind Natania, Abby assumed to be the girl that Tara had identified as Cyndie, said something to her fellow community members which caused a stir. A conversation ensued between, Cyndie, Natania and a couple of the women in the group. Michonne shifted her focus slightly, then looked over her scope.

"Rick! Walkers!" She shouted.

Abby didn't shift her focus from Natania until Cyndie suddenly wacked her grandmother on the back of the head, revealing Enid with her gun raised and looking terrified. Abby frowned, she needed to have a talk with that girl, then started looking for walkers.

Michonne had yet to take a shot but Abby was much more confident with her abilities, even with her view partially obstructed by foliage. Her rifle boomed loudly, her having taken off her silencer which also improved the accuracy, as she shot walker after walker. First, she focused on the nearest ones, trying to thin out the numbers as they approached the group, Alexandrians standing back to back with Oceanside members. Once the walkers got within ten feet of the group, Abby focused more on the back side of the herd. The battle only lasted a couple minutes and fortunately, no one was injured.

Michonne let out an irritated sigh. "You really need to teach me to shoot better."

Abby looked up at Michonne. "It's just like anything else, it takes practice. Unfortunately, ammo is harder to come by but when we get back, I'll give you the crash course I gave Sasha." Daryl let out a whistle and when Abby looked over at them, he waved at them. "C'mon, we're wanted on the ground." Abby said as she descended.

They both climbed down from their tree and joined their group. They moved the Oceanside members back to the community to a place they could easily be watched, Rick then set Daryl and Merle as guards while everyone else went to the shed and started taking armful of guns and walking them back to their vehicles. Abby paused in front of the group and stared at them for a moment.

"What?" Cyndie asked, annoyed by her gaze.

"Tara told me what happened to your people." Abby said. Rick saw her and grabbed her arm.

"There ain't no point, sis." Rick said as Abby shrugged off his hand.

"And you need to get over your pessimism. The world might not be all rainbows and sunshine but it isn't all darkness either." Abby said glaring at him, then shooed him away. Rick shook his head then walked off so Abby turned back to the women. "I know you've been through hell, you've lost people but sitting here, hiding, it disrespects the memory of your men and of those who died fighting for your freedom. There are worse things then dying."

"We aren't afraid of dying." Cyndie said softly. "But of living under the Saviors…if you could truly call it that."

"Living in fear of them is just as bad as living under them. Help us fight and you'll have to do neither, you'll truly be free of the Saviors." Abby said passionately.

Cyndie sighed as she looked back at her people. "We can't, I'm sorry."

"C'mon, Abby, you're wasting your breath." Tara said as she took Abby's hand with her freehand, an arm full of guns over her shoulder, and guided her away after the others. Tara stopped as she approached, Daryl then let go of Abby's hand and turned back to the Oceanside residents. "We'll bring them back." Tara continued as Abby shook her head in frustration.

Daryl touched Abby's arm as he looked over her shoulder, keeping a close eye on the people. "You said your peace." Daryl said softly. "There's nothing more you can do or say."

When Tara finished her conversation, Abby, Daryl and Merle waited for Tara and Rick to walk by before following them back to the vehicles. They walked the way back in complete silence, then they all climbed into their vehicles and headed for home. The trip was long so Abby used the time to cuddle up with Daryl and take a bit of a nap. When Daryl gently shook her shoulder to wake her, it was pitch black outside, the only light in the RV coming from the headlights of the vehicles behind them.

"We're here, babe." Daryl said softly.

Abby lifted her head from his shoulder and rubbed her eyes as she looked through the front windshield as the gate to Alexandria rolled opened. Abby stretched, pecked Daryl on the lips before getting up from sitting in his lap then offered her hand to him as he stiffly stood up, his legs probably asleep from her sitting on them hold trip. When Rick rolled to a stop, Abby walked to the door just as she heard Michonne say.

"Rosita is back."

Abby opened the door, Daryl hot on her heels as she stepped out but had to stop as Enid rushed in front of her towards where Rosita stood, looking very unimpressed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Enid asked as she ran towards Rosita.

Rosita was silent a moment, a look of disgust on her face and when she answered, she didn't answer Enid. "There's someone here." She said, the disgust on her face matching the disgust in her voice.

She walked off without another word as Rick, Michonne, Tara, Merle, Jesus, Daryl and Abby all followed after her. They walked down the quiet street to the row of townhouses then down to the lower level where their official prison cell was located. Rick was the first through the door behind Rosita followed by Merle, with Daryl and Abby pulling up the rear.

Abby and Daryl hadn't even made it through the door before they heard the sound of a body slamming into the concrete followed by a fist pummelling someone's face. Daryl immediately barrelled forward, assuming it was his brother, pushing through the crowd as Rick, Michonne and Rosita tried to pull Merle off of the unknown guest. Once he shoved Tara and Rosita aside and pulled Merle off of the man, Daryl paused briefly then threw his own fist and landed square on the man's face.

Abby knew exactly why the Dixon's boys were so riled up but she stepped forward anyway to stop Daryl but he only hit the man once before Rick shoved both him and Merle back towards the door as Rick shouted for them to stop and slow down. Abby side stepped all three men, completely ignored by the others, then pulled out her gun and put it to the man's head.

"Dwight, right?" Abby asked, her voice practically dripping with acid. "Giving me one reason to not put a bullet in your head."

Rosita quickly turned and stepped up beside Dwight and held out her hands in a peaceable gesture. "He says he wants to help us!"

Rick kept his hand on Daryl's chest while Jesus kept his on Merle's, as Rick looked back at Dwight and Abby. "That true? You want to help?"

Dwight wiped the corner of his mouth as he looked at Rick, ignoring Abby's pistol to his head. "I do." He said sincerely.

Rick finally took his hand off of Daryl's chest and studied him a moment. "Okay." He said waving Abby and Rosita back as he pulled out his own pistol and pulled the hammer back. "Get on your knees."

Abby stepped back towards Daryl, stopping just in front of him, her gun still held up. She could practically feel the heat of his hatred radiating off of him in waves, but he was in control of his emotions while Merle was pacing like a caged animal seething as Jesus and Michonne kept themselves between him and Dwight. While Daryl's stare burned holes into Dwight's face, Dwight gazed back at Daryl with an unreadable expression which pissed Abby off.

"Look at me." Rick growled then when Dwight looked at him he asked. "Why?"

"Cause I want it to stop." He answered. "I want Negan dead."

"So why don't you kill him?" Rick asked, acidly.

"Can't just be me." Dwight responded. "They're _all_ Negan. Isn't that right, Merle?"

"Yer lucky yer still breathing, boy." Merle ground out. "First you tried to kill my sister in law then tortured my brother."

"Merle!" Daryl scolded as Dwight looked at both Daryl and Abby in shock.

"I wasn't aiming for her." Dwight said looking back at Merle.

Daryl muscled Abby out of his way then pulled Dwight on to his feet and slammed him against the wall while pulling his knife out and holding it in front of Dwight's eye, his hand shaking ever so slightly from the rage coursing through him.

"Do it." Tara sneered.

"You heard her boy, kill the sumabitch. Don't back down now, pussy!" Merle growled.

"You wanna end it this way…I'm sorry. I am." Dwight said. "I know you want to."

"He could just be here to see if you were here." Rick suggested.

Abby pushed everyone out of the way and stepped up beside Daryl to study Dwight more carefully.

"We can't trust him." Michonne said softly.

"He owned me but not anymore. What I did, I was doing for someone else. She just got away. So now I'm here." Dwight said sadly.

Abby saw Daryl glance towards her and she knew exactly what rolled through his mind in that moment; there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Daryl had told her briefly about Sherry, Dwight's wife. It had been her idea to go back to the Savior's and it was her fault that Dwight had his face melted so she had become one of Negan's wives to save Dwight's life. Dwight glanced at her too then back at Daryl as Daryl pressed his arm more firmly against Dwight's neck.

"You don't have to kill me, there's another choice. Negan trusts me." Dwight continued and Daryl's breathing started getting more rapid, his anger coming to a head. "We work together, we can stop him! You knew me then, you know me now. You know I'm not lying."

Abby wanted to stop him, she believed Dwight and she thought that he could be useful but it was Daryl who had suffered at this man's hands not her, it was his right to choose. Daryl looked like he was a second from running that blade into Dwight's brain, but ended up letting his hand with the knife, drop.

"Pussy!" Merle growled and Abby heard him step forward, so she whirled around and brought her gun to his head.

"It's his choice." Abby growled. "It takes more strength to let the asshole live than to kill him."

Merle had his hand on his pistol but he put his hands up and stepped back. "He's one of Negan's lieutenants and he tortured my little brother, it ain't right that he gets to live!" Merle snarled.

"Brother?" Dwight asked, apparently not hearing Merle say it the first time, only to get Daryl to shove more weight into his wind pipe.

"Shut up, Merle!" Abby growled as she lowered her weapon. "Maybe we should discuss this where he can't hear?"

Rick was now standing on the other side of Daryl, carefully studying both Daryl and Dwight.

"Negan's coming soon." Dwight said looking at Rick as Daryl took a step back. "Tomorrow. Three trucks probably, twenty Saviors and him. I can slow them down, bring some trees down in the road, buy a little time for you guys to get ready. If you can take them out, that's where we can start. You kill them, I'll radio back to the Sanctuary."

"The Sanctuary?" Rick asked.

"I can radio back to them and say that everything is okay. You drive the trucks back, and I can lead you right inside, and with the right plan, we can wipe out the rest. Then, we get the workers on our side, build our numbers up and go from outpost to outpost and end this."

"Rick." Abby said. "Can we discuss this _outside_?"

Rick finally looked back at Abby and nodded. "Everyone, lets go."

They all filed out of the cell, Abby locking the door herself then followed the others as they all walked into what had been Abby and Daryl's townhouse. Abby and Daryl both took up sitting on the counter of their island as the other spread out around the room, leaning against the walls or sitting on the ground.

"You guys can't honestly be buying what that guy is saying?" Tara asked in disbelief.

"I believe he is sincere for the moment." Abby said. "But he's been scared into bending his knee to Negan at least twice now."

"The woman he mentioned, was that his wife?" Michonne asked.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. Her and her sister had been with him when I ran into them the first time. The girl died, so they went back. From what I understand, Sherry, his wife, said she'd become one of Negan's wives in order to save Dwight's life."

Merle scoffed. "The man can't even take care of his own wife and she ain't the sort to go runnin' into battle like you ladies. She was a worker, stayed safe behind the Sanctuary's walls."

"But she did try to leave, to save her sister." Daryl said as he glared at his brother. "I wouldn't do what he did but I get doing everything you can to protect the ones you love."

"And now that she's gone, he's less inclined to stay under Negan's boot." Rick added.

"That's what I figure." Abby agreed. "But I still wouldn't keep to his plan. There's to much of a chance for things to go south."

"Like if we rolled up to Sanctuary, he could send some sort of signal and they ambush _us_!" Rosita agreed.

"We can get Abby and Sasha to go ahead, scout the place out. Report any suspicious activity and then they could cover us." Daryl suggested.

Abby patted Daryl's leg. "You just want me out of harms way." She said smiling softly at him.

"Yer not one hundred percent yet, can't even hold an assault rifle proper with that cast on." Daryl said grabbing her casted arm and picking it up.

"Got you out of that hell hole, didn't I?"

"By not bein' seen." Daryl said frowning. "This will turn into an all-out fire fight."

"Which I'm an expert in." Abby reminded him.

"Enough you two." Rick said tiredly. "I'm going to make it nice and simple. All for letting Dwight go and following most of his plan, raise your hand."

Slowly Michonne, then Jesus raised their hands. Daryl looked over at Abby then closed his eyes as he sighed and raised his hand, followed by Abby then Rosita. The only ones who didn't was Tara and Merle, the latter of which stared daggers at his brother.

"Alright, it's decided." Rick said tiredly.

Everyone followed him as he walked outside then sat on the steps as Rick and Daryl continued down the steps and to the cell before disappearing in side. Merle stepped up beside her and crossed his arms as he glared towards the door.

"I can't believe that you're on board for this?" He growled.

Abby looked over at Merle. "Have you ever played chess? Or maybe another strategy game?"

Merle looked at her carefully. "No, never really been one for that type thing. Have read the Art of War and some shit like that."

"I haven't read it myself but there has to be something in their about using spies to get yer enemy out in the open. Dwight is small fish. He was just doing what he was told. Negan, he's the one we really want, and Dwight will help us get him."

"So yer okay with just letting him go?" Merle asked her angrily getting in her face.

Abby gave him a bored looked. "Did I say he was going to get to live? He's got an expiration date, Merle. As soon as he gets us Negan or out lives his usefulness, he's dead no matter what Rick says."

Merle smirked as he took a step back. "Good."

They watched as Dwight emerged from the cell and walked towards the gate. Rick and Daryl followed him for a short distance then stopped and watched him as he walked towards the gate and then climbed up into a SUV that was parked in front of the gate. They all watched long enough for Dwight to drive out of the front gate then slowly started moving off. Rick said something to Daryl then walked over to where Michonne still waited for him. Daryl stared at the gate a moment longer then turned and walked over to her. Daryl let her wrap her arms around his neck but turned his face away as she moved to kiss him.

Abby grabbed his face and made him look at her. "Don't do that. Don't shut me out."

Daryl sighed as he closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Sorry." Daryl lifted his head and looked around them, then grabbed her hand. "Can we talk first before we go to bed?"

Abby touched his face with her free hand. "Of course."

He pulled her off towards the park that surrounded the small lake then down the path towards the gazebo. He sat down at the bench then finally let go of her hand as she sat down beside him. He bent over and put his face in hands as Abby started rubbing his back, obviously he was upset.

"I _really_ wanted to kill him." Daryl said quietly. "Make him pay for what he did to me, I wanted to do it real slow."

"That's natural baby." Abby said then kissed the back of his head.

"And I still plan to…just not yet." Daryl finally lifted his head and looked at her again. "I'm gonna kill him, Negan and every last one of those Saviors. I will not let them hurt you!"

Abby ran the back of her fingers along his jaw. "I know you won't baby." She said softly then kissed him on the lips.

When she pulled back, Daryl looked at her painfully as he brushed some hair out of her face. "When they had me locked up in that cell, all I could think about was you. Keeping you safe, wanting to get back to you so we can have that baby, to make you happy, to _be_ …happy! I still don't know why you did but you looked my way as saw me and I'm grateful you did. I love you _so_ much."

Abby stroked his face and kissed him again. "I just wish we had a chance to be together before all of this shit."

"Yeah well, I intend to give you that, just after the shit hit the fan. I just gotta kill Negan first."

Abby sighed. "That's sweet honey but there are other bad people out there, besides Negan."

"And I'll protect you from them to." Daryl straightened up then leaned back against the back of the bench. "It seems that with each passing year, I'm getting more and more fearful of losing you. I'm worried it might start to become paralyzing."

Abby put her head on his shoulder. "I don't think you'd let it get to that point. You're too strong for that."

"I don't feel that strong." Daryl grumbled. "Merle's right, I'm a pussy."

Abby pinched Daryl's side. "No, yer not! You'd never freeze up because you couldn't let anything happen to me or anyone else that you care about!" Abby stood up and held out her hands. "Now let's go work on that baby."

Daryl smirked as he grabbed her hands, then they went together to their townhouse.

111

The next morning Abby stood next Rick as he watched sadly as Glenn strapped Judith into the car he'd be taking with Jesus back to Hilltop. Rick wanted Carl to go with Judith, but he insisted on staying and used their desperate need for numbers against his father. Rick also sent a message along with them, instructing Maggie to stay at Hilltop in case things went wrong. Abby actually didn't agree with that decision entirely. She got the thought behind it, it gave them the option to retreat there if they needed to; Rick didn't want the Saviors to find out about the base just yet. But Abby wanted more numbers, even if they weren't facing the full force of Negan's wrath. Winning would give them a decisive advantage, especially if they managed to kill Negan and some of his lieutenant's.

Rick had also sent a message to the Kingdom, letting them know what day they'd be facing the Savior's but Rick wasn't holding his breath. Abby, on the other hand, had hope. With Carol and now Beth there to bend the King's ear, she was almost certain they would arrive, but she wasn't certain if they'd arrive in time. What Abby was concerned about, was the Scavengers. She had yet to meet them but people who willing live in a trash heap and barely talk, had Abby questioning their sanity, let alone their reliability.

Shortly after Jesus had left, Rick and Michonne took off with RV to go talk to the Scavengers while Daryl went on his bike to go to the base and retrieve Abraham and Sasha along with several more high-powered guns, Kevlar vests and ammo. Abby and Merle were tasked with getting Alexandria ready for the fight, reinforcing the gates, setting up ambush sites in case the Savior's got inside and setting up barricades for people to duck behind for shelter.

Abby also recruited Merle to help her set up booby traps that she had no intention of sharing their location with the Scavengers. Even though Rick had plans on using the explosives he'd stolen from a trap the Savior's had set, when they were on the way back from the Kingdom, Abby had her own ideas and she didn't trust their new friends.

They had predicted that the Savior's would approach from the main gate but if Negan was a cautious fellow, which Abby thought he might be, he'd cover the secondary gate as well. So her and Merle drilled holes into a couple large trees, placed two sticks of dynamite into each and wired to a remote detonator that they had. The idea was not to destroy the enemy but to fell trees into the path of the Savior's, preventing them from leaving or ideally felling them _on top of_ the Savior's. She also set up some booby traps along the storm gate, just in case the Saviors happen to find it, both at the gate outside the fence and the manhole cover within the fence.

When Daryl arrived back with Abraham and Sasha, Abby had them distribute flash bangs and smoke grenades to several key points and gave Daryl, Abraham, Merle and Sasha all a pair of hand grenades, not trusting anyone else to be able to properly use such dangerous weapons. When Rick arrived with the Scavengers, Abby waited by the back of the RV as Rick and Michonne collected themselves within. The leader of the Scavengers, Jadis, walked beside her and looked her up and down.

"Sister?" Jadis asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Of Rick? Yes." Abby answered as she held her hand out. "I'm Abby."

Jadis took her hand daintily and shook it. "Jadis. Are you the brains?"

Abby laughed. "I'd like to think so but Rick might disagree. For the most part, Rick calls the shots. I'm just the annoying bee who pesters him and stings him when he does something stupid."

"Be nice, Abigail." Rick said as he came around the back of the RV.

"What fight for?" Jadis asked indicating the community with her head, ignoring Abby now that Rick was there.

"Not the place." Rick responded. "The people, each other." Rick glanced momentarily at Michonne then looked back at Jadis. "You're apart of that now."

"We take. We don't bother…our way." Jadis said as Abby watched her carefully. "Maybe another way." Jadis looked over at Michonne then indicated Rick with her head. "Yours?"

Michonne looked over at Rick as Abby quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, we're together."

"I lay with him after." Jadis said like she was stating that she going for a walk. "You care?"

Abby made a gagging sound. "I'm going to hurl over there." Abby said indicating a shrub.

Rick looked uncomfortable as Michonne smirked slightly. "We should get back to work."

"Yeeeaaah." Rick said hurriedly as he turned and trotted after an already retreating Abby.

So, they went to work setting up the remaining explosives while others pushed cars in front of the main gate to prevent it from being rammed. Once they were all set up, Rick separated everyone into strike groups; making Daryl in charge of defending the entrance of the gate from the ground with his brother, Carl defending the wall with his father and Abraham leading those within the walls and Sasha controlling the second gate. Shockingly, though, instead of putting Abby up in the townhouses with Michonne, Rick had her right by his side along with the Scavengers leader, Jadis.

When Jadis' spies gave the signal, everyone went to their spots and waited for the inevitable to occur. Abby crouched down on one side of Rick while Jadis crouched down on the other. Rick looked around to make sure everyone was in position, ordered Rosita to prep the charges then await his signal. Rick looked down at Abby and touched her chhek, looking at her lovingly.

"Thank you, baby girl." He whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Abby touched his hand. "You'd get along fine just with less irritation."

Rick smiled at her softly. "Definitely less irritation."

Everyone perked up when Eugene's voice came over a bull horn. "All points are covered." He said as the truck he was standing on weaved through the obstacles they'd moved in the way, right up to the gate. "Every contingency is already met. I come armed with two barrels of truth. A test is upon you, and I'm giving out the cheat sheet." Rick looked on in disbelief as the truck rolled up. "H-hello." Eugene said as he looked up at Rick. "I have come salved with the hope that it is my dropped knowledge that you heed. Options are zero to none. Compliance and fealty are your only escape. Bottom lining it; you may thrive or you may die. I sincerely wish for the former for everyone's sake. The jig is up and in full effect. Will you comply Rick?"

Rick stared at Eugene for a long time then finally asked what everyone was thinking. "Where's Negan?"

Eugene looked at Rick in disappointment. "I'm Negan."

Abby ground her teeth as she shook her head in irritation. This was exactly why she didn't want him to have anything to do with the base, he was too weak and prone to give in to fear. Rick looked skyward, obviously disappointed, and when Abby looked over at Rosita, she had tears in her eyes. When she looked up at Rick, so did Abby and she saw Rick fighting with his inner demons. Eugene had been one of them once upon a time and now he was in bed with the enemy. He looked down at Abby as she looked up at him. She looked him square in the eye and nodded her head firmly. Rick sighed as he looked at the sky again, then looked down at Rosita and nodded his head before he ducked down beside Abby. Rosita clicked her remote as she squinted but after a long pause, nothing happened.

Rick and Rosita looked at each other in shock while Abby glared at Jadis. Rick suddenly realized what happened as he reached for his gun but Jadis was ahead of both of them as she quickly pointed her pistol at Abby, making Rick pause. Abby snarled as she slowly stood up with Jadis and the Scavengers all turned on the residents of Alexandria. Abby knew she could disarm this woman easily enough but that wouldn't save everyone else so she kept her hands out in the open and decided to let things play themselves out.

Abby watched as Negan and several other Savior's got out of their vehicles as Eugene got down from the back of the truck. Several of the Savior's went to the back of the five-tonne truck they had strategically place beside the road and went inside the truck and started gathering the explosives. The gate was opened by one of the Scavengers as Negan guided Eugene to the gate, then stopped just feet from the threshold. Rick slowly stood up, hand still on his colt as he glared at Negan, having faith in Abby to be able to make the right call.

"You ever hear the one about the stupid little prick named Rick and his super hot sister? Hello by the way, I don't believe we've had the chance to meet. Damn shame too, especially considering the circumstance. You know, I could save you all of this." Negan said then waved around him grandly. "You could become one of my wives, there's an opening that just opened up."

"Go fuck a tree." Abby snarled as Rick's face darkened even further, barely managing to keep his hand from pulling his colt and shooting Negan right there.

"Whoa. She's a fire cracker! I love her! Shit Rick, how'd you keep _that_ from me?" Rick just continued to glare at him. "Anyways, where was I? Oh yes. The prick named Rick who thought he knew shit but didn't know shit and got everyone that he gave shit about, killed? It's about you!" He continued then pointed at Rick. "You're all gonna wanna put your guns down now."

"No one drops anything!" Rick said immediately. Abby could see that he was terrified of losing his family, but she saw more steely resolution than she had seen in many months. He then looked at Jadis who still held the gun at Abby's head. "We had a deal."

"Tamien came for the boat things." Jadis explained. "Followed ones who took. Made a better deal."

Rick shook his head in irritation. "I shoulda listened to you." Rick ground out quietly when he glanced at Abby.

"You push me and you push me. And you push me, Rick." Negan said smiling as he bent back with his bat on his shoulder, then climbed into the back of the truck Eugene had been standing in. "You just tried to blow us up, right? I mean, I get me, my people. But Eugene?"

"The only reason that prick is here is because of Rosita and Abraham and then there was us. People who betray those who kept them breathing, deserve death." Abby snarled.

"Again, damn!" Negan said smiling as he looked at Abby appreciatively. "Your sister belongs down here, Rick. After what Eugen did, he stepped up. Your people…are animals. Universe gives you a sign and you just…shove your finger right up its ass." Negan chuckled as he looked back at Rick. "Now from what Eugene has told me, you have a serious soft spot for your baby sister. So, here's the deal, I don't want to kill all of you and not killing all of you could get complicated. See, I know there's a lot of firepower left in there, Rick. So, I'm gonna make this simple. I want all the guns you've managed to scrape up. Yep, I know about those too. I want every last grain of lemonade you got left. I want the person of your own choosing…" Negan paused as he held up his bat. "For Lucille. Daryl. Oohh, I gotta get me my Daryl back. I see you. And holy shit, I thought you were dead, Merle! Has it been you feeding them intel?"

"I don't get dead that easily." Merle sneered, smiling but the hate in his voice apparent.

Negan grinned. "No matter. I want the pool table and all the cues and chalk. And I want it now, or Abby dies, and then all of you. Probably."

Abby spat a big old lewgie as hard as she could in the direction of Negan, nearly managing to hit him making his step back as it splattered on the ground less then a foot away. Negan looked over at Eugene. "You weren't kidding about her aim." Negan winked at Abby then looked back at Rick. "C'mon, Rick. That'd be a real shame to deprive the world of that beautiful thing. Hell, I could just look at her all day." Negan paused then looked up and studied Rick for a moment. When he made no inclination of complying, Negan sighed. "You suck ass, Rick. You really do. I really don't want to have to kill her but that's exactly what you're going to make me have to do."

Throughout Negan's whole spiel, Abby had slowly been lowering her hand towards Kevlar vest's ample pockets, then slowly reached inside. Jadis was standing behind Abby and couldn't see the gesture while Negan was mostly focused on Rick and when he was looking at her, he stared her straight in the eye. And even if he did look at her chest or if any one of the other Saviors were watching her, they probably couldn't see the lower pocket that she was reaching into, all that well.

Negan had just turned to address one of his men when Abby clicked her own remote, setting off the charges in the trees and the landmines in the ground. Everyone ducked at the sound then ran to get out of the way of the falling trees or screamed in pain as they got hit by shrapnel from the landmines. The explosives in the ground weren't powerful enough to kill but only to maim which was all Abby was wanting, she wanted to put the fear in those people. She wanted them to see that Negan did not know it all.

Rick tackled Jadis, sending them both falling to the ground as the gun she'd been wielding went off. All hell broke loose then as Alexandrian's started fighting back against the Scavengers. Abby lifted her assault rifle and carefully aimed over the wall looking for Negan. She shot whoever she came cross but after several tense moments of nearly being shot, Abby had to retreat from the wall.

Daryl was immediately there, earning a glare from Abby. He was supposed to retreat to one of the barricades but like always, he was more concerned for her. As they retreated back far more than the twenty men that Dwight had promised, surged through their front gate. They hightailed it to the secondary gate, Abby looking around her for Carl and Rick but not seeing either as they went. Abby pulled Daryl to a stop.

"I can't do this again." Abby said firmly. "I'm not leaving without my brother or nephew. I need to find them!"

Daryl looked her in the eye. "We aren't leaving them, but you're useless to them if yer dead. Merle is regrouping with Abraham on the far side of the townhouses. We go there, we push back together. This was _your_ plan, Abby."

Abby started tearing up but she nodded her head as Daryl took her hand and pulled her along behind him. They had just made it to the townhouse when a woman's scream made them look up to see a woman fall out of the balcony. They both ran to see who it was and were relieved to find that it was a Scavenger not Michonne, who lay dead on the ground. Abby started for the stairs but Daryl stopped her.

"I'm better up there anyways." Abby said as she touched his face. "Rejoin your brother, I'll clear a path as best as I can."

Daryl turned to return fire as they ducked behind the stairwell then looked back at her. "Be careful!" He said emphatically.

Abby nodded then covered his retreat as he ran for the corner of the building then rounded it. Once he was out of sight, Abby ran up the stairs taking three at a time. When she entered the top floor room, she found Michonne lying on the ground, face badly bleeding as she tried to catch her breath. When she heard Abby's footsteps approaching, she tried to sit up but only made it half way. When she saw that it was Abby she relaxed as Abby pulled out her rifle that she'd hidden in the eavestrough above their heads.

"You okay?" Abby asked as she pulled her gun down.

"I'll live. Raise some hell." Michonne said weakly.

Abby nodded as she popped out her stand, found her first target then started firing. "Tell me when you see our people emerge from around the corner." Abby instructed.

"Yeah." Michonne breathed as she painfully sat up then propped herself against the rail.

Abby searched around the community, desperately trying to find her brother and nephew and when she did find them, they were surrounded by Saviors, kneeling on the ground. In front of Rick was Negan down at Rick's level, Abby would've shot him right there but there was a high probability that the bullet would pass through Negan and into Rick, killing both of them; so, she just had to wait for an opening.

Negan got up suddenly and walked quickly around behind Rick then over to Carl and took off Carl's hat. Abby took her opportunity to fire but his body turned as he wound up to swing at Carl's head and instead of hitting him in the chest, she wound up hitting his forearm and which then passed through into his bicep. Negan's men immediately raised their guns as the boom of her gun reached their ears, only to be attacked by a tiger and mowed down by Ezekiel's men.

Negan and his men immediately retreated as Ezekiel's men barred down on them, immediately overpowered. Abby tried to take a couple more shots at Negan, trying to finish the job but he zigzagged his way to the gate as her bullets hit the ground around him.

"They're coming." Michonne said painfully.

Abby brought her scope back to the more immediate surrounding and helped clear a path as Abraham, Daryl and Merle moved together with a group of a dozen people or more, towards Rick and the main gate. Abby suddenly noticed more people flooding in from the secondary gate and almost opened fire on them but quickly she realized that they were in fact people from the Hilltop, lead by both Glenn and Maggie.

Abby kept firing, taking down Savior after Savior but not getting who she wanted. After several minutes of fighting, two flares were suddenly sent up. When Abby looked back down her scope, she noticed several smoke bombs being thrown and Scavengers scaling the wall. Abby shot a couple as they climbed but decided that they were not longer worth her ammo and focused on finding the few remaining Savior's hiding within the community. She suddenly saw both Rick and Carl burning pavement, running towards the townhouses then stopped just beneath them and looked down at the dead body.

"I think you gave our boys a good scare." Abby said to Michonne then bent over the side. "She's alright but she's gonna need a doctor."

Rick and Carl ran inside and she heard them running up the steps as Abby continued to look for targets but she was no longer finding any. Rick ran onto the balcony and knelt down in front of Michonne as she looked at him woozily.

"You're a live." He breathed in relief then kissed her hands as Carl also appeared and knelt beside her.

"We…We're." Michonne started saying but she was both emotional and in a lot of pain. "We're…we're." She tried again.

"I know. I know." Rick said as Abby lowered her rifle and looked back at them. "We are. We will." Rick bent forward and gently hugged Michonne.

When he sat back again he looked back at Abby. "Thank you, Sis, you saved my boy!"

Abby smiled sadly as she propped her gun against the rail and knelt down beside him then wrapped her arms around him. "No thanks necessary. I'll always do what is necessary for both of you, no matter what it is. I will always be there for you."

Rick hugged her tightly then kissed her cheek before pulling away. He carefully slid his arms under Michonne's legs then behind her back and carefully lifted her from the ground before carrying her away. Both Carl and Abby stood but instead of following Rick, Carl immediately threw his arms around her.

"I love you so much, Aunty." He said passionately then turned and followed after his father.

* * *

Abby probably would make a good Savior, she can be very cutthroat and cruel when she wants to. She'd probably be the one running the Saviors, not Negan. Good thing she has Rick and Carl to keep her from going too dark...Daryl probably wouldn't prevent her from going there, she'd probably drag him down with her.

-Shockra


	14. Chapter 14

Hello everyone! How have you all been? Ugh, to think that summer is almost over, is super depressing. It's even more depressing to think that in a month and a half, there could be snow on the ground...any ways. Sorry guys, this is probably the shortest chapter out of all three of my stories. But don't worry, we'll get back to our normal length next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

The following day, Rick, Ezekiel, Maggie, Glenn, Merle and Abby all gathered in Reg's house to start making plans for their own attack on the Sanctuary. When Abraham had arrived from the base, he had brought with him, several detailed standard and topographical maps that he'd found in the base of the area where the Sanctuary was located and with the help of Merle, they where able to pinpoint.

"How trained are your men, Majesty?" Abby asked as she studied the maps.

"I dare say that for civilians, we are very well versed in the art of war." Ezekiel said confidently. "And bountiful in courage."

"And how many of them can use guns?" Abby asked.

"If yer thinkin' of given them some off that military grade weaponry, I wouldn't suggest it." Merle growled. "They don't know jack 'bout usin' it. They should just stick to the civilian stuff."

Ezekiel frowned. "What does it matter?"

Abby rubbed her neck, Rick was now heavily relying on her to make the plans and it was starting to stress her out. "It matters. The military grade weapons pack more of a punch, fire at a higher rate and are more accurate for greater distances but they're more finicky. They need to be well maintained or they jam, they are harder to handle and they're much heavier."

"My people are strong." Ezekiel said, still frowning. "Besides, how many people do you have that know anymore than us?"

"About a dozen who actually know what they're doing." Abby replied. "But that's why we haven't deployed as much weaponry as we possess, we just don't have the people who know how to use it and now we don't have the time to train."

"'Much more weaponry'? You got more? Where the hell is this shit coming from?" Merle asked. "Negan cleaned you out and I know some of those guns didn't come from Oceanside. What's the deal?"

Abby looked at Rick. "I think we should tell them."

"I agree." Glenn said nodding his head. "I even trust Merle to not sell us out."

"Tell us what?" Ezekiel asked as he looked at Rick then Glenn.

Rick studied Glenn who nodded his head, then Maggie who also nodded, then finally sighed as he leaned against the table. "Abigail, you know more about it."

Abby looked over at Merle as she started. "About a month before we attacked that outpost we found you at, Daryl and I found something very interesting. Well 'found' is a strong word." Abby looked at Ezekiel. "I told you that I was in the Corps for ten years. What I didn't tell you was that I was neck deep in some seriously classified shit. I assassinated people, got defectors out of some seriously dangerous areas, that sort of thing. When you deal in that kind of thing, you don't report to an ordinary General or debrief at any old base. Normally, most debriefs where done via vidcom from a base on the other side of the planet but there was this one instance that I needed to report directly to Washington…or at least the base nearby."

"You found a fucking base!" Merle exclaimed, apparently caught somewhere between excited and annoyed.

"Don't run the flag up yet, Merle." Abby said. "Yeah, we found a base. A very well hidden, top secret base. At full power and in good repair, we could light up the skies. Hell, we probably could send precision missile strike against the Sanctuary and its outposts with just pressing a couple buttons, but we can't. Something happened there. Most of the exterior buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the big guns that go boom. Not to mention I don't have the knowledge on how to operate such systems, even if they were operational and we had enough juice."

"We basically have just enough power to keep the lights on and run the more basic systems. We started setting up solar panels to start supplementing the power so we can save the fuel for emergencies but that place takes three times the power then Alexandria." Glenn put in.

"But you obviously found guns!" Merle suggested.

Abby grinned. "That we did. Guns, armor, explosives, that sort of thing."

"For how many?" Ezekiel asked in surprise.

"Well, we got enough armor for about forty people, guns for almost twice that and ammo for twice _that_." Abby said.

"Any thing else?" Ezekiel asked.

"A little bit of food, a fully stocked med bay and some blankets and military clothing." Abby replied.

"That military base was basically supposed to be our back up plan. If something destroyed this place, we'd retreat there." Rick said. "It's not the most comfortable place to live. We'd basically be living underground but Abigail said that it could withstand everything but a nuclear strike."

"I wanna see this place." Merle said firmly.

Abby sighed as she looked at her brother. When he nodded, she looked back at Merle. "Abraham and I will be going there with a truck to gather more supplies, you can come then."

Rick looked at Ezekiel. "You can go as well but I'd rather you didn't take more than two people. Our people don't know about this place and I'd like to keep it that way for now, so the Saviors don't learn of it."

Ezekiel nodded. "Understood and your offer is appreciated."

They continued then, to work on their plans, everyone contributing information and ideas. By midday, they were all exhausted, so they decided to call a recess and would reconvene in two hours. Abby walked the park that was around the small lake and plunked herself down tiredly on one of the benches. Abby had been sitting there for maybe ten minutes when a pair of skinny arms appeared around her neck.

"Hey!" Beth happy voice came from beside her.

"You're here! Were you in the fight?" Abby asked as Beth released her then rounded the bench to sit down beside her.

"Me and Sophia, both!" Beth said as she turned her body to face her.

"Sophia?" Abby asked shocked.

"Yeah, I know. I was pretty shocked when I saw her standing next to Carol in their armor." Beth said nodding.

"So. Will you be going back or are you staying here?" Abby asked.

"I'll go back to the Kingdom for now. After that, when it gets closer to Maggie's due date, I'll move to Hilltop." Beth answered.

"So, you're enjoying it there?" Abby asked with a mischievous smirk.

Beth rolled her eyes. "I guess."

"A handsome boy wouldn't have something to do with that?"

Beth playfully swatted Abby. "Stop!" When Abby just kept staring at her expectantly, she let out a sigh. "You're worse than my sister! Okay, fine, Ben isn't all that bad."

"Ben, huh." Abby said smirking. "How's the kid doing?"

"Much better. He's still a little on the weak side and his side still hurts him but he should be good in a week." Beth said. "The doctors were impressed with what you did. They said that if we had arrived even a minute later, he'd definitely had died."

"I'm glad he's gotten better." Abby said sincerely. "And I'm glad that you seem to be doing well, also."

"Yeah. I guess I was getting a little depressed but the people in the Kingdom are great! I can play with the horses, help with the gardening. If daddy was still alive, he'd like it there." Beth looked down sadly. "I don't know why I've been thinking about them so much lately."

"I think 'bout my folks sometimes too and they've been dead for almost twenty years!" Abby said as she touched the younger woman's shoulder. "They were the ones who loved us first, made us the way we are. They were also the first people _we_ loved, they gave us comfort when we were scared or sad and, in this day and age, we crave that."

"What were they like, your mom and dad?" Beth asked.

Abby smiled slightly. "My daddy was very much a country man. He was a rancher through and through. He practically lived on the back of a horse. He was a very loving man, though. He was never shy about showing Rick and I love, gushed about us to his friends, embarrassed the heck outta us a few times. Loved our mother to pieces, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

"My mom, she was a society girl turned country woman and that woman could _cook_!" Abby laughed. "She tried so hard to make me into a girlie girl, didn't want my daddy to teach me how to shoot. My grand dad had other ideas, though, he taught me without her knowing."

Beth laughed. "Oh, that's so bad!"

"I think she gave up making me a girlie girl when I started begging to go with the boys, hunting but she still tried make me well mannered. She could be hard on me but she loved me and I never questioned that. Family loyalty and loving each other has always been something that has been instilled in us."

"You and Rick do a good job of that and I think Carl is going to continue the Grimes' loving tradition." Beth said with a smile.

Abby laughed. "I guess you could call it that." Abby got up and stretched, "I'm gonna find my husband and maybe Sophia. Make sure you say good bye before you leave."

"I will." Beth promised then watched as Abby walked off.

Abby walked back to the street then down towards the townhouses and found Daryl and Carol smoking together as they reclined on the steps of Daryl and Abby's home. When Carol saw her coming she smiled as she stood up and then gave Abby a tight hug. Abby took a seat on the other side of Daryl and pulled the smoke from his fingers and took a single puff before she laid back on the steps.

"So, was it you who convinced Ezekiel to aid us?" Abby asked as she ran her finger nails gently up and down Daryl's back.

"I don't know if it was entirely me, but I helped. After what happened to Benjamin and then you and Beth saving him, Ezekiel was easily convinced." Carol said in a nonchalant tone as she stepped on her bud.

"Where's Sophia?" Abby asked.

Carol sighed. "Off somewhere with Carl."

Daryl looked over at her surprised. "She's _here_?"

Carol nodded. "She wanted to come back to Alexandria, she begged me. There isn't a lot I can give her but I can let her stay in the place she's happiest."

"Was she in the fight?" Daryl asked in disbelief.

Carol winced as she nodded. "Yeah but she was more in the center of the group, Morgan promised to keep her as far from the trouble as possible."

"So is she staying?" Abby asked as she sat up so she better see Carol's face.

Carol stared at the ground. "I don't know. She's not happy at the Kingdom and she hated being in that house. Everybody she trusts, is here or Hilltop; mainly you two, Rick and Carl. But…I don't know."

"She can stay with us." Daryl offered, surprising both women.

Abby looked at Daryl in shock then gathered herself and looked back at Carol. "Yeah, that's fine. Although with us actively at war, I don't know how much we'll be around."

"You're planning on attacking the Savior's before they attack us, right?" Carol asked apprehensively.

"That's right. We've got a plan in the works. Hopefully we can get everything together in the next couple days then make our assault." Abby answered.

Carol nodded her head. "I guess that'd be okay."

"The second there is trouble, I'll get her to go to the base. She'll be safe there." Abby said.

"Yeah, Daryl offered to let me, and Sophia stay there but…this needs to be done. If I want Sophia to have a future, and the only she can have one is if the Saviors have been brought down." Carol said then frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about that when you found it? From what I understand, you've known about it for months!"

"Yeah, sorry. Originally it was just us and Rick and Michonne. Then we wanted someone who knew computers so we included Glenn and Abraham, since he was a military guy. Then we needed to fortify the location better and repair a few things, so we included Reg and a couple of residents who are still there." Abby said smiling awkwardly. "It's not that we didn't trust you, we were just trying to contain the information."

Carol reached across Daryl and patted Abby's knee. "It's fine, I understand."

111

By the end of the day, they finally had a plan. As the sun began to set, Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie had everyone gather around a make shift stage and went about explaining their plan to their unified people. It was Rick's idea of attracting the large herd of walkers they'd seen a few weeks ago and directing it towards the Savior's Sanctuary. It was Ezekiel's idea to weld on sheets of metal on to cars and use the cars to make a wall. Rick and Ezekiel both wanted to give the Savior's the chance to surrender but if they didn't, Abby fully intended on lobbing grenades into windows they shot out.

Ezekiel led his people home the following morning, while the Hilltop helped Alexandria collect cars to weld the sheets of metal too. While Ezekiel was curious about the base, he thought it more prudent to lead his people home and prepare for their next step. So, while everyone worked on finding cars to use, Abby, Daryl, Merle and Sasha, drove to the base. Abby sat in the back with Sasha, knowing full well she wouldn't enjoy riding with Merle and instead the two women caught up as they drove.

It made Abby sad thinking about their relationship. Back at the prison Sasha had been one of Abby's closest friends. Her and Maggie always hung out with Abby when they had a moment but now, she barely talked to either women. Now she was only really close with her brother, nephew, husband, Michonne and Beth. Thankfully, Sasha didn't hold it against her and happily shared details of her relationship with Abraham.

As they rolled to a stop in front of the gate, Merle let out an impressed whistle. Daryl smiled at his brother before opening the door and getting out to wave at the camera. There was a moments delay, then the gate finally rolled open and Daryl slid back behind the wheel. They rolled inside and parked in front of the building that Abraham had finally managed to finish. Abby was also impressed to see there was a watch tower, smack dab in the middle of the compound with two people manning the tower.

Otherwise, there was almost no one walking around the compound, everyone busily working within. Abby lead the way as they walked inside the building, then Sasha led them to the newly disguised main entrance that led into the base, which led to an elevator that required a code to even open the doors. They rode the elevator to the main floor and when the doors opened up, Merle let out another whistle.

"Some real James Bond shit down here." Merle said impressed.

Abby smiled at Merle. "Funny, Glenn said almost the exact same thing."

Merle glared at her, not appreciating the comparison, as Sasha looked over her shoulder at Abby. "Abraham found a bunch crates to load the guns and armor up into, I think he left them in the armory."

Abby nodded, then they all followed after Sasha as she walked off down the hall.

"How many people could live in here?" Merle asked as they walked.

"Technically, it's designed for no more than forty people but if we optimized every space we could probably have twice that. They only problem would be feeding that many." Abby answered.

"You know, with all the livin' space underground, we could turn most of the ground up top into a crop." Daryl suggested. "Even if we keep this place at a minimal occupation, it could grow enough food to support Alexandria and even trade with the other communities."

Abby turned and walked backwards as she pointed at Daryl. "That is a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because yer too busy thinkin' about war." Daryl replied with a smirk on his face.

"And you aren't?" Abby asked as she quirked her eyebrow.

Daryl shrugged. "I always was a better multitasker."

Abby stopped and shoved at Daryl as he turned his body sideways trying to protect his most sensitive parts from her with his hands. Sasha stopped and chuckled at their antics as Merle shook his head, smirking ever so slightly. Abby gave him one more playful shove, then turned and followed Sasha as she continued down the hall. When they came to an intersection, Abby stopped and looked down the hall to the left.

Abby looked at the three as they watched her. "You continue to the armory, I have a pitstop to make."

Sasha and Daryl both nodded and then they all continued on their way. Abby walked down the hall, then went down one of the two stair cases in the compound. Mostly, everything was all on the same level but the two separate area where they kept prisoners and interrogated them. Abby was familiar with this place because that was precisely what she'd done when she'd came here all those years ago. She'd never given anyone details before, not even Daryl although she hadn't told him for a different reason. She knew he'd love her no matter what, but she didn't want him to know how monstrous she could be.

Abby descended the ten steps into the narrow hallway that was lined with four metal doors on either side with metal slides at eye level to peer inside and followed the hall to where it widened into a six by eight room. On one side of the room sat a desk with a bank of monitors lining the wall in front of it. On the other, was a wall to wall metal storage lockers with steel grated front with six doors, each with a pin pad.

The first two had your standard issue rifles and hand guns, the third had two sets of riot gear in it, while the fifth had a first aid kit as well as a defibrillator and a bunch of other general medical supplies. In the last locker sat several different vials and black cases, looking like the medicine cabinet in the medbay,

which was what she was here for. Abby punched in her code, grabbed two vials and a case, before closing the gate. She set the case on the desk and opened it up, then grinded her teeth as she stared unhappily at the contents. After taking a settling breath, she put the vials in between a set of tools, then closed the case and stuffed it into her bag.

By the time Abby found the others again, they were loading guns into crates with the help of two of the bases residents and stacking the crates on to a low flatbed cart. When Daryl saw her step in, he quirked an eyebrow but she just shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. Abby poked around in the crates they loaded up, rejecting a couple of very high-powered guns but guns not many of the people in any of the communities, could use with any efficiency.

When they took as much stuff as Abby deemed necessary, Daryl and Merle pushed the cart to the elevator while Abby went on to the intercom and paged everyone but the watch, to the cafeteria. Both her and Sasha made their way there, then waited for the now dozen residents that lived there. Technically speaking, only about eight of the twelve people who showed up were actually working in the base but there had been a couple who'd brought their significant other with and one had even brought their three year old son. When they all gathered, Abby climbed on top of one of the tables and motioned everyone to quiet.

"So, I'm not sure what you've all heard about everything that's gone on over the last couple weeks." Abby started. "I'm sure you all remember the deal that Rick and Maggie had brokered with the Hilltop community." Abby paused and looked at the group who all nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, those people who we attacked, that facility we took down, it was just one facility of a bigger group."

Everybody started whispering to each other so Sasha clapped her hands. "She isn't finished!"

"Thanks, Sash. They call themselves the Saviors and about three weeks back, they attacked a group of ours on the way to the Hilltop. Among them was Rick, Maggie, Aaron and several others. My brother was forced into service of these Saviors after they killed both Aaron and Tyrese." Abby looked sadly at Sasha, but Sasha continued watching the group. "They threatened to kill everyone else in that group, including my nephew and then they would have attacked Alexandria. Rick had no choice. At first Rick went along with Negan's leadership, which is why you haven't heard much from Alexandria over the last while but then they killed one tpo many of our people."

"Who?" One of them asked.

Abby sighed. "Spencer, Olivia, nearly managed to kill me and they had Daryl as a prisoner for a few weeks." Abby shook her head in anger. "Anyways, Rick has decided to fight against the Saviors. We had troubles getting Hilltop to join us but with Maggie's help they are on our side now. We've also gained the assistance of another community called the Kingdom. The Saviors attacked us but with the help of the other communities, we ran them off."

"How many more died?" Another person asked.

Abby shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not sure yet. They're still cleaning up from the battle but we have a counter attack planned. Now, you here, aren't going to be involved in that plan but you need to be prepared to fight back and if things go south in the other communities, this will be where at least some of us, will be heading. Now I understand that Abraham implemented a coded call system in case we get attacked?"

"Yeah." Sasha answered, finally turning back to Abby. "Abe has a closed channel radio and made sure everyone knew the different call signs when things go bad. He said you'd recognise them if you heard them. He also set up motion sensors all the way down that road and the watches have night vision."

"Good. Who's in charge of the monitors?" Abby asked.

A man, Abby knew as Ian, held his hand up. "I am."

"Well I want someone watching the camera's, twenty-four seven." Abby said. "We could have trouble."

"Yes, ma'am." Ian said nodding his head.

"And at least two people in the tower twenty-four seven as well." Abby said.

"Already done, ma'am." Another man answered.

Abby paused as she thought then looked at the group again. "Does anybody know anything about growing gardens?"

One woman raised her hand tentatively, she was one of the construction workers wives. "I used to grow a big garden at home all the time."

Abby nodded her head. "Daryl just came up with the idea of growing a large garden here. We have to work out a system for watering the plants but do you think you could handle tending to them?"

"With a helper or two, sure." The woman said.

"Great. Once we get those Saviors trapped, we'll send a scavenging team to find seeds and gardening tools." Abby said. "That's all I really had to say, I just want ya'll to hear it from the horse's mouth."

They all nodded their heads and scattered, returning to their various tasks. When they were all gone, Abby looked back at Sasha.

"Maybe you should stay here. We need someone to lead these people, keep them in line." Abby said.

"I'll do it." Merle said as him and Daryl walked into the cafeteria.

Abby quirked an eyebrow as they walked over to her. "No offense Merle but you're a bit too impulsive to lead a group of people. Not to mention I'm not sure I trust you."

Merle rolled his eyes. "I've been pretty damn honest with you, a novelty for me and I was serious when I said that I was tired of fighting. I want Negan gone but I know if I wanna be there when it happens."

Daryl looked at his brother like he had gone crazy. "You serious? Since when did you like sittin' in the back and watchin' shit happen? You've always liked bein' front and center."

"I've got a good decade on you little brother and short a hand. After everything I've been through, after everything I've done, I'm just tired." Merle said to Daryl.

"I say let him." Sasha said, shocking all three of them. "I don't want to stay here while there's a war going on and neither will Abe or Glenn. I know he was with the Savior's but I actually believe him. He was actually very helpful to us back at the prison."

Abby sighed as she studied Merle. "You promise to not go runnin' off like you did back in Georgia or give this place up to the Savior's?"

"On my mother's grave." Merle swore, holding her gaze. "I'll protect this place 'til the end. It will not fall and it will serve as a safe haven to your people."

Abby sighed then looked at Sasha. "Do you know how to create new security codes?"

"Yes, Glenn showed me but only you and Glenn have that ability." Sasha answered.

Abby nodded. "Alright, let's go."

All four of them left the cafeteria and walked the long trek to the CIC. Like everyone else before him, Merle was immensely impressed before they even opened the door, then shocked when they finally did. Abby sat down at a computer and Sasha guided her through the process of creating an I.D. for Merle. Once Abby was done that, she told him the things he had clearance for and how to access those features.

Sasha then wrote down the list of command words and what they meant so that he could radio for help, should they need it. After Abby had grabbed a radio for her, Daryl and Rick, they loaded the last of the gear into their beat up old SUV and headed for home.

* * *

So this one was probably a little boring, especially after the last chapter. But like I said, we'll get right back at it in the next chapter!

-Shockra


	15. Chapter 15

Hey! So this chapter is a little more action packed and twice as long! Enjoy!

* * *

The following morning, everyone got up bright and early to receive their assignments. Rick sent most of the Alexandrian's who would be involved in the attack, to the Hilltop to help with armoring the cars and giving the Hilltop an additional crash course in weapons training. Abby and Daryl were going to Sanctuary and work out a a away to discreetly deliver Dwight the message about their attack, while Tara and Carol sought out the herd of walkers and start directing them back towards Sanctuary. Unlike the rest of the Kingdom, Carol and Morgan opted to stay back with Alexandria and help with their end of things instead of going back and helping with preparations there. Beth, on the other hand, did go back so she could continue taking care of Benjamin while making sure Ezekiel stayed on track.

Abby rode behind Daryl on their Harley as they headed for the Sanctuary. Instead of driving most of the way, Daryl turned down a dirt road about three miles away from Sanctuary and hid the bike in the bushes before continuing on, to prevent any Saviors from catching sight of them. Really, Daryl didn't need Abby with him to deliver the message, but both wanted to stay in the others company. If Abby had stayed back, she would just be double checking their plans, helping with armoring the cars or organizing people; Rick was more than capable of doing that without her. Instead, she would rather spend as much time with Daryl as she could, in case they didn't survive the coming battle.

They moved through the forest in complete silence, taking out the occasional walker that crossed their path but otherwise, their trip to the Sanctuary was uneventful. They both snuck in behind a garbage can that was sitting beside the building nearest to Sanctuary's fences and waited for Dwight to make an appearance, Daryl watching the fence line while Abby watched their backs. They probably sat there for almost three hours before Dwight finally did make an appearance, Abby sitting propped up against the garbage can and Daryl half leaning against Abby as he peered around the corner. When they did finally see him, they had to wait another twenty minutes for him to be alone.

Daryl rolled a prewritten note onto the shaft of one of his bolts, then secured it to the bolt with an elastic. He then carefully stood up, looking for anyone he might've not seen before then took careful aim before letting the bolt loose. When Abby peered around their cover, she saw his arrow thump into the tire of Daryl's old motorcycle, although Abby wasn't entirely sure how Dwight had gotten it. Dwight looked around him, then pulled the bolt out of his tire and looked at Daryl's short message. Whatever his reply was, it was definitely more than Daryl's single word.

Eventually he rolled the piece of paper around the bolt once more and re-secured it. When it thumped next to Daryl, Abby pulled it from the garbage can then touched Daryl's arm as he stared towards where Dwight stood. Daryl touched her waist then finally looked over at her as she watched him. When he saw her studying him with worry on her face, he stroked her cheek gently before kissing her forehead and moving towards the woods.

They were far away from any known Savior presence when Daryl stopped once more. He pulled the elastic off of the bolt then unravelled the paper, which turned out to be three pieces of paper and held it out so Abby could see it too as she peered over his shoulder. On the top piece of paper, was a list of four watch posts that, if accurate, could cause problems for the Saviors.

"We should check those out before we go back." Abby said as Daryl rolled the note back up and shoved it into is pocket.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'." Daryl said nodding. "I don't trust that shit for a second, he could be misleading us and I'd rather know today than tomorrow when things are already moving."

The first lookout wasn't all that far from their current position, so instead of retrieving their motorcycle, they just walked the thirty minute journey. Like Dwight had written, there was a single man standing on a single, narrow platform affixed to a tree. If you were driving a car, you probably would've missed the man; blending in well enough and the stand sitting just far enough back to get a little coverage from the trees but not enough to obstruct the guards view. Abby used the scope off of her rifle to carefully survey the area but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

The neighborhood that Dwight had mentioned, as further away. So they had to make the trek back to their bike then drove as close as they dared to the next location and walked once again to their location. Once again, they found just one man idly watching his surroundings, looking incredibly bored. When they arrived at the third location, it was just another similar situation in a different location. The fourth was a little trickier, it obviously housed more then just a couple of people and would take more force.

111

At the crack of dawn, Abby crawled out of the tent she was staying in with Daryl and collected her things. She then stuffed Jack into her pack and went to where Abraham had left Libby and saddled her up. Now that the Savior's were no longer welcome within the Hilltop's walls, he thought it would be best if she lived at Hilltop, where there were people who knew what they were doing, instead of Sherwood. Once Abby and her horse were both ready to go, she walked to the gate and indicated for them to open up.

Once outside the gate, Abby mounted up and sent Libby into a gallop and aimed her down the road. After about three hours of riding, with only a couple of breaks to let Libby catch her breath and drink, Abby finally arrived at her destination. She put Jack down on the ground and he instantly went to a tree to relieve himself then came back and bounced around her quietly on his three still good legs.

Thanks to Jack, Abby was able to dodge two Saviors hidden in the forest before reaching the building that she had planned on making her hideout in for the next twelve hours. Unlike her typical corps missions, Abby only had Jack to watch her back and only herself to watch the scene before her. Abby found a room to put Libby into, where she could be safe from walkers and not be seen by Saviors, then left her a small bucket of feed to munch on.

Once Libby was secured, Abby and Jack climbed to the roof of the building and started getting settled. Abby had dressed herself head to toe in camo and had also painted her face, looking ever bit the Marine that she was. She laid down on her stomach on the rooftop, then laid a blanket and a little bit of garbage over top of herself to help blend herself in with her environment. She then popped her stand out of her sniper rifle and got herself comfortable as Jack curled up underneath the blanket beside.

They watched the building in front of them for hours, obviously one of the Savior's larger outposts. Abby had recommended that they postpone the attack by a day, to give Abby a chance to observe the new locations so they could form a better, more effective forms of attack. When her and Daryl had looked in on the place the day before, it was obvious that no small attack force could just attack the place and survive. When Abby questioned Merle about it via walkie, he'd told her it was largely a place to store things and that Dwight may well be right about those big guns being there. He had never physically been to the place himself, so he didn't know how many people could be there but he said they'd likely be heavily armed, as would all the outposts but if they took Sanctuary out of the picture, they had a good chance of overwhelming all of the locations.

After her twelve hours of watching, Abby carefully extricated herself from the area, the Saviors being none the wiser. They then went to the research facility that was on the list, which according to Merle was the second smallest outpost but was also used to store things. Abby carefully inspected the windows with her rifle but all she saw was the one man who stood on guard outside of the building but it was now becoming dark and people were likely settling down for the night. Once she was satisfied, they finally headed for home.

111

Abby and Daryl laid on their sides staring at each other in the dark as Daryl gently stroked the side of her face. Abby had delivered all of her findings and they had adjusted their plans accordingly, now all they could do was rest until the morning.

"If you told me when we met back in that basin all those years ago that I'd feel this way 'bout anyone, I'd say yer bat shit crazy. And if you told me that you would feel the same, I'd tell you to go to hell before I beat the crap outta you." Daryl said softly, his faint smirk barely visible in dark.

Abby snorted. "I don't know about the last part but you'd probably tell me to go to hell." She said as she pushed some hair out of his face. "We both have come a long way."

Daryl gently pushed her on to her back and pressed his forehead against her cheek. "Please, don't leave me. I need you so much it hurts. I don't know if I could go on without you."

Abby wrapped her arms around his bare torso and held onto him tightly. "Yes, you can! And if I die, you will continue on! Just focus keeping Carl and Judith alive, it'll help distract you." Daryl nodded his head while he kept his forehead where it was but said nothing. "Besides, you'll be in more danger than me. After Sasha and I take that one watch out, we'll be watching with our scopes until you arrive with the herd. You'll be the one in danger."

Daryl finally lifted his head. "But they know about you now. They know that yer Rick's sister, possibly that yer my wife and they'll try and take advantage of that. They're gonna target you."

Abby took his chin firmly in one hand and made him look at her. "And, in the off chance that they get me alive, you will _not_ give in to their demands, no matter what they do to me and you will not let Rick give in either! You hear me?!" Abby said passionately, she would not let them lose because of her.

Daryl sighed but eventually nodded. He finally laid on his back and pulled her on to him then wrapped his arms around her, stroking her bare back with one hand. "I love you."

Abby let out a sigh of contentment as she snuggled into him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

111

The following morning, Abby and Sasha both got geared up and headed out before everyone else. They took Jack with them to be their security alarm, should any one try to sneak up on them. He'd come a long way in his healing, but his leg was still wrapped up in a caste, just like Abby, not that it slowed him down.

They first headed for the look out that they had to take down, took him out quietly, then parked their car and hid it in the bushes. They finally struck out on foot and carefully made their way to their own outlook. After doing a quick radio check on their closed frequency radios, they went to opposite side of the building with Jack guarding the only stairwell that led to the roof.

They watched the going ons of the Savior's Sanctuary all morning, basically a similar scene to what Abby had observed previously, just more guards walking the rooftop. Which is to say, they had none previously and now had two. A loud explosion off in the distance, signaled that the plan was now in full motion, sending Sanctuary into a mad scramble as they tried to get a team together to go investigate the explosion. When they finally left, Abby pressed the button on her ear piece.

"Enemy team away." Abby said then took aim on the guards on the roof.

"Roger that." Rick's voice said over her ear piece. "Arrival in 2 minutes, take out the guards."

"Affirmative." Abby responded.

"I'll take nine o'clock, you take three o'clock." Sasha suggested over the radio.

Abby smirked. "Roger. On the count of three. One, two, three."

Both Abby and Sasha hit their targets at the same time, successfully taking down their targets without raising the alarm. A minute later, a caravan of their vehicles rolled down the road then parked along Sanctuary's fence. Everyone climbed out of their vehicles, then watched Glenn and Rick. After a moments pause, Rick nodded and Glenn lowered his hand. Each person shot off a volley of two shots towards the building as a warning and to get Negan's attention.

There was a good two minute pause before Negan stepped out, followed by what Abby assumed was three of Negan's lieutenant's, two of which Abby recognized from Hilltop and the Kingdom, and Eugene. Negan and Rick exchanged words, Eugene and the woman Abby didn't know the name of, said a few words then Simon disappeared inside momentarily before reemerging with Gregory.

Abby touched her ear piece once again. "Let's cut this bullshit! I'll take out Negan and S2 can take out Simon. Put an end to this shit."

"Not until I give the word, S1. You and I know that taking those two out won't end this." Rick said firmly. "On my word only, S1!"

Abby let out an angry sigh. "Roger that." She ground out.

The rebellious sister in her wanted to ignore Rick's order and shoot Negan but the soldier in her, told her to obey. This was war and dissention would only lose the war for them, so the soldier side of her, won out.

Abby frowned, Gregory had been making some sort of grand speech, probably telling Hilltop to stand down and side with the Savior's but the people of Hilltop weren't having any of it. Simon suddenly got in Gregory's face, probably because Gregory couldn't make good on whatever he had promised, then Simon shoved him down the stairs Gregory stood near and watched until he landed on to the ground. Just as Gregory hit the ground an explosion sounded off in the distance, signaling that the Savior's who'd gone to investigate the first explosion, had set off the booby trap.

"S1 and S2, get ready to target top floor windows." Rick said firmly.

Rick started talking again, probably giving Negan one more chance to give up. Abby focused on the top floors like she was instructed and when her people opened fire, Abby took careful shot after careful shot, making sure that each of her targets had guns in their hands. Another explosion sounded, this time directly in front of the gate as Rick blew the RV and destroying it as well as the gate.

"S1 and S2, pull back." Rick said over the sound of gunfire. "Commencing retreat."

Abby switched her com to the private channel between her and Sasha. "S2, this is S1. I'm staying back to cover their asses, you continue to the rendezvous point." There was such a long pause, that Abby suddenly got worried. "S2, do you copy?"

"Roger that, S1." Sasha's voice finally came. "Be careful."

Abby looked away from her scope long enough to watch Sasha head for the stairs, before turning back to her scope. Explosion's continued to sound, which made Abby feel somewhat relieved. With each explosion meant that Daryl was getting closer and closer. Abby focused in on her brother and noticed him fixating on a certain spot. When she looked where Rick was shooting, she saw a pair of boots sticking out from behind a sheet of metal. Eventually Rick stopped firing and when she looked back at him, she saw Gabriel pulling at Rick's arm.

Rick climbed into his car as did Gabriel, the last ones remaining. Rick drove away but Gabriel suddenly reemerged from his vehicle, firing at the Savior's then slid behind a slab of concrete where Gregory still cowered behind. Abby shook her head, Gregory wasn't worth the effort, but she had kind of fond of Gabriel in a strange way. As she watched, Gregory suddenly got up and made a mad dash for Gabriel's car. Abby gritted her teeth, then pulled the trigger and watched as his shoulder exploded. Gabriel looked on in shock, then finally launched himself off of the ground, dodging are the now incoming walkers, just barely managing to make it to his car as Gregory screamed in pain as walkers' bit into him.

It was time for her to go, so Abby finally stood up, shaking off the debris and ran for the stairs, scooping Jack up as she went. She ran down the steps then ran hard in the direction where her and Sasha had parked. She wasn't sure if Sasha would still be waiting but she hadn't stayed back that much longer, so her hopes we're high. She did her best to dodge around the walkers, but the forest was now thick with them, making Abby have to change her direction more than once. Eventually Abby hit the highway but much further down, so she awkwardly tapped her earpiece as she continued to carry Jack.

"S2, do you read?" Abby huffed as she ran.

"I read you!" Sasha answered immediately. "Where are you?"

"I just passed the mile marker five miles west of the turn off." Abby breathed, then plunged her blade into a walker's head with one hand. "An extraction would be nice."

"Already on my way." Sasha said, the reeving of the cars motor loud in the background.

Five minutes later, Sasha screeched to a halt beside her. Abby shoved Jack in the backseat then sat tiredly in the passenger seat.

"Thanks." Abby said as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Rick's not going to be happy when he hears you didn't obey his order." Sasha said as she sped down the road.

Abby smirked as she looked over at Sasha. "I didn't disobey him, I just…delayed responding."

"You and I both know, Rick won't see it that way." Sasha said dryly.

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "I made a call and I ended up saving Gabriel's life, so I can't bring myself to regret doing it."

Sasha chuckled as she shook her head. "How did you stay in the military for ten years? You have such a hard time following orders."

Abby frowned. "That's unfair. Rick isn't a soldier and he doesn't always make the best strategic decisions. It's not to be rebellious, it's because I'm trying to do what's best."

Sasha reached over and patted her arm. "I know, I'm just teasing you."

Abby sighed. "Sorry, I'm a little uptight right now."

Sasha just smiled and continued to look ahead. They drove the rest of the way to the rendezvous point where they were to meet up with Rick, Daryl and several of the other members of Alexandria stood waiting. As they rolled to a stop, Daryl's chin dropped to his chest as he let out a sigh of relief, obviously happy to see Abby unhurt. Rick slapped Daryl's back then approached as Gabriel followed him.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Gabriel asked as she climbed out of the car. "You shot Gregory when he tried to abandon me."

Abby nodded. "What an ungrateful bastard. You try to save him but he just leaves you?"

"Well, thank you." Gabriel said sincerely. "You probably saved my life."

"Even though I'm annoyed that you delayed your departure, I'm glad you did." Rick said as he patted his sister on the shoulder then looked at Sasha. "I'm counting on you to lead our people while Daryl, Abigail and I go with the other three inside to find those weapons."

Sasha nodded her head solemnly. "I got this."

Rick nodded then pushed Abby towards his vehicle as he nodded towards Daryl. "Let's move out." Rick said.

Daryl gave Abby a quick peck on the cheek then pulled the bandana out of his back pocket and whirled it over his head. Abby climbed in next to Rick, with Jack once again climbing in the backseat. Rick bumped through the field then onto the highway and led their group to their next destination. According to Dwight's note, the outpost that they were heading too was the Savior's next largest outpost and was the present location of the big gun that generally floated around from outpost to outpost to deter any potential threat.

"Why bring the dog?" Rick asked as they drove down the road. "His leg is broken, he'll just slow us down."

Abby shrugged. "It don't matter to him, he barely notices and I have a broken limb to." Abby said holding up her broken wrist.

"How much longer?" Rick asked indicating her wrist.

"Two more weeks I think…I hope. I'm ready for this damn thing to be gone." Abby replied. They were both silent for several minutes before Abby looked over at her brother again. "I'm surprised you're letting me tag along with you."

"I considered leaving you on the outside with Sasha, considering that's what you're trained for but Daryl insisted on you coming in with us. He says you're ridiculously good at finding things." Rick said smirking. "I think he just wants you within arm's reach."

Abby laughed. "He _does_ call me a key hound. Although I don't find them as much as he says I do."

Rick smiled as he watched in the rearview as everybody but Daryl and the vehicle with their three helpers, peeled off down a different road. They drove for only a few more minutes before turning themselves, down a dirt road. Rick then turned onto a nearby property and finally rolled to a stop. Once stopped the two of them, along with Jack, climbed out of the car and joined the others as Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder. As Abby walked up to him, she frowned as she noticed a huge revolver sticking out of the back of his pants.

"Where'd you get this?" She asked as she pulled the gun out.

"Off of the asshole at the outpost that I took the watch out on." He said, smirking slightly as she inspected it.

"C'mon you two, we need to go." Rick said as he walked off into the woods.

Abby handed Daryl his gun back as they followed after Rick, as he continued on to their destination on foot. Thanks to Jack, they managed avoid a small heard of walkers and locate and kill the two hidden look outs Abby had dodged the last time, but otherwise, their journey to the townhall was uneventful. When they reached the fence line, Rick pressed his ear piece.

"S2, are you in position?" Rick asked.

The radio crackled in her ear momentarily before Sasha's voice came over the radio. "This is S2. We are in position, waiting for your word."

"Commence attack." Rick said firmly as he held his hand out towards Abby, expecting her to hand him her binocular's. When she did, he looked through them and watched the building.

They remained at their position Sasha and the rest of their group, attacked the outpost. They finally moved when the gunfire died down briefly, through the bush, then stopped at the edge. Abby pulled her silenced pistol, and lined up a shot, as did Rick. On the count of three, they both fired, taking down both of their targets then rushed catch up with Daryl, Jack and the others as they charged the back door. The door entered into a long hallway and when they came to an intersection in the hallway, Rick sent the guys down the one as Abby, Daryl and Rick continued down the other.

Abby followed on Rick's heels as Daryl lingered back, looking through windows set in the doors as Jack stuck to his heels. When they entered into a large foyer, Rick pulled Dwight's note from his pocket and inspected it. When she noticed his confused look, she looked over his shoulder.

"What is it?" Abby asked.

"There's supposed to be a stairwell here." Rick said in irritation then wheeled around as footsteps appeared behind them. When Daryl appeared, he relaxed a little as Daryl too looked around.

"That little shit lied to us." Daryl growled.

"Or remembered incorrectly." Abby suggested. "Not everyone has the memory I have."

Daryl looked at her unhappily then pointed at a door then started kicking a door, trying to open it. Rick stepped up beside him and together, they finally got the door open. The double doors led them to another short hall, which Daryl marched down the hall, still clearly irritated as he walked, then pointed to another set of doors. This time they were a pair of gleaming elevator door. Between him and Rick, they managed to pry the sliding doors open then peered up the elevator shaft.

"Can you make it up there, babe?" Daryl asked, indicating the shaft.

"Would you like to get shot?" Abby growled.

"I imagine he's worried about your hand, Abigail." Rick said tiredly.

"Well I climbed piping on the side of Sanctuary to watch and get inside. I can handle some metal cables." Abby said, still annoyed.

"Either way, I'll pull up the rear." Rick said, indicating for them to go.

After giving her brother a glare, she followed Daryl up the cables. Once to the top, Daryl grabbed on to the lip and stepped onto the ledge just below the door. He awkwardly opened the doors, threw his crossbow onto the floor then climbed up. He waited for Abby to reach the ledge then offered her his hand, which she just glared at. Making a sound of irritation, Daryl reached down and grabbed her hand before forcibly pulling her up. After helping Rick up, the three of them went down to the end of the short hall then quickly rounded the corner into another crossroad, trying to surprise any potential enemies.

"What now, Sheriff?" Abby asked, smirking slightly.

Rick gave her the stink eye, then looked at Daryl briefly before looking down the right-hand hall. "What d'you think? The floor plan hasn't been as Dwight drew out."

"I don't trust that map no more, whether or not he intentionally is misleading, I don't know." Daryl said as he carefully watched the hallway on the left.

"If those weapons are truly here, we need to find them. Splitting up may be our best option." Rick said then looked at Abby. "Abigail, go with Daryl then you two come join me as soon as yer done."

Abby put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Be careful, big brother." She said sincerely.

Rick's face softened as he looked back at her. "You too, baby girl." He said softly then his face returned to his fighting face. "Now go."

Abby nodded then turned and followed Daryl and Jack down the hall. There was a couple of offices they poked their heads into, but they'd been turned into bedrooms and only had mattresses on the floor with a couple shallow shelves with random personal effects. They finally reached the end of the hall which ended with a metal door, painted white to match the halls walls. Daryl looked back at her, counted down from three with his fingers then quickly opened the door, revealing what had once been an office. Cubicle's spread out in front of them but fortunately the walls were only four feet high, giving them the ability to see over them with reasonable ease.

At the far end of the room was another door, which Daryl pointed out. "I'll see what's behind the door, you continue looking around here." Daryl said quietly.

Abby nodded then continued looking down into each cubicle, looking to see if she could see the crate hiding with in one of the cubicle's as Jack wandered around on his own. She wasn't half way through looking into the cubicle's when she noticed Daryl just standing in the doorway, staring. Abby walked over to him and glanced around him, into the room. On the floor was a half-eaten sandwich and an empty can of dog food with an empty pair of cuffs, cuffed to a pipe on the wall. Daryl was staring at the sandwich, shifting uncomfortably as perspiration, that hadn't been there a few minutes ago, rolled down his face. Abby gently touched Daryl's elbow, expecting him to either startle or reef it away from her but instead, he just continued to stare.

"Daryl." She said softly, when he still didn't turn to her she reached up and turned his head towards her. "It's over, you aren't there anymore."

Daryl took a deep breath then let it out slowly as he shook his head. "I know, just got lost in thought. Sorry I worried you." Daryl said then pecked her on the lips. "I'm fine. The guns ain't here, let's go find Rick."

Abby stopped him as he tried to exit the room, pulled his head down for a proper kiss then let him go by. They made their way carefully back down the hall, across the intersection they had parted ways with Rick then continued towards Rick, keeping their eyes open for any Savior's who might've come in side. They stopped when they came to another large room, another office but slightly bigger than the one they had just checked and no cubicles to obstruct their view.

In the approximate center of the room was a man impaled on what once had been a shelf bracket, hanging there dead, and at the far end of the room, a door hung open with a man standing in the doorway. Abby and Daryl glanced at each other then moved forward, Abby taking point. As they got closer, Abby heard her brother talking then paused and looked back in surprise as the other man spoke, she knew that voice.

Daryl continued forward, crossbow aimed at the man as he talked to Rick. Abby recognized the moment he was going to shoot and quickly grabbed his crossbow, preventing him from shooting. Daryl glared at her, unhappy with her stopping him, which she just returned. Abby gave his crossbow a bit of a shove then moved quietly forward. There was less than four feet between her and her target, so she rushed forward punched the man in ribs then brought her knee up as high as she could while she forced his head to connect with her knee, knocking him out.

"We should kill him!" Daryl snarled at Abby.

Abby's face darkened. "I appreciated that you wanna make these people pay, but he used to be one of us!"

"Years ago!" Daryl said to her angrily. "And only for a brief time."

"She's right, Daryl." Rick said, finally recovering from his shock.

"Besides." Abby continued. "Morales will have more up to date information. We can interrogate him, find out what Negan is planning, what Negan knows and where those damn guns are."

"We can finish having this discussion later." Rick said, stepping in between Abby and Daryl. "Morales signaled his friends outside, they'll be here any moment."

Abby sighed and nodded her head, now was not the time to have an argument with your husband; probably the reason why the military didn't want lovers working together. Rick knelt down beside Morales, relieved him of his weapons then hog-tied him as Abby and Daryl watched the door. When Rick was done, he tapped Daryl on the shoulder as he walked by and Daryl lifted his crossbow as Rick in front of him, then followed on his heels. Daryl trotted to get ahead of Rick, then led him to where he'd found a stairwell.

Just before they tried to turn down the final hall, they were fired upon. Rick and Abby fired their assault rifles from the doorway of an office at their attackers as Daryl ducked around the corner into another doorway and opened fire at other attackers with one of his two pistols. Daryl paused long enough for Abby to appear around the corner, then pulled her into the room he was using as cover, shielding her with his body as bullet splintered the door frame.

Annoyed, Abby pushed Daryl to the side and fired around the corner. Abby took careful aim as Daryl reached around her and fired in the general direction of their attackers. Behind them, Rick was firing at the enemies who were coming from the other side, preventing their enemy from approaching but also prevent them from leaving. Abby reached into her Kevlar vest, and pulled out two flashbangs.

"Rick!" Abby hollered over the sound of gun fire. When he looked back at her, she held up one of the flashbangs and tossed it to Rick. Rick caught it easily, momentarily put his pistol away as Abby pulled her pin as Daryl continued to fire at the enemies at their end. Abby counted down from three with her hand, then both Rick and Abby tossed their grenades in the direction of their attackers.

The Savior's screamed as they put hands to their eyes or ears and were too disoriented to duck behind cover as Abby left the safety of her cover and open fire. There was only four people left at the end of their hall and Daryl wisely turned to help Rick instead while Abby easily mowed down their aggressors. When her targets were down, Abby spun around and returned to where Daryl and Rick were, but they had also finished taking out their attackers. Abby looked at Daryl confused as he once again held his crossbow out.

"I'm out." He said simply and when she pulled her own pistol out and offered it to him, Daryl shook his head. "I'm good, you'll be out to, soon enough."

Abby sighed as she pressed her lips in a line, not happy but she knew that no matter what she said, he wouldn't take it from her. They moved back to the stairwell and carefully descended. When then rounded the corner, they nearly put a bullet in Sasha's head as she suddenly appeared in front of them but they all quickly recognized each other before they fired at each other.

"I think we got 'em." Sasha said, as she looked around carefully.

"Do a thorough sweep of the building, make sure we didn't miss anything." Rick ordered Sasha.

"I'm going to go talk with Morales." Abby said.

"I'm coming with you." Daryl said as he moved off towards the stairwell, but Abby grabbed his arm.

"No, I need to do this on my own. You help Rick clear what remains of the Savior's and the walkers." Abby looked down at Jack as he whined pitifully. "Stay with Daryl, Jack."

When she looked up again, Daryl looked at her unhappily but nodded his head. Abby trotted back up the steps then carefully made her way down the hall, carefully checking rooms as she went, so she didn't get snuck up on. Halfway down the hall, her earpiece crackled then Rick's voice came over the earpiece.

"S1, do you copy?" He asked.

"S1 here." Abby replied as she paused to listen.

"Be advised, there is a baby in the room off to the side. Bring her down with you when you're done."

Abby put a hand to her face. "Roger that." Abby said tiredly.

Abby walked the rest of the way to the room where Morales still lay on the ground, thrashing as he tried to escape his bindings. When he looked up and saw Abby, his eyes went wide in shock.

"Hey." Abby said as she grabbed a chair and sat down on it in front of him. "Long time no see. It's twice now that I saved your life, Daryl was about to kill you, you know."

"I should've guessed that you'd live, I saw the signs, even before you went to Atlanta." Morales said as he looked up at her from the ground awkwardly.

"How's that? I was over my head in grief most of the time that I knew you." Abby said cocking an eyebrow.

"I remember you staring into the fire. You had that look in your eye that said you'd seen too many things." Morales said shrugging. "You'd make a good Savior, you and Daryl both."

"I wouldn't say that to him if you wanna life." Abby said dryly. "Now to business. I'm going to lay things out for you. I know Negan has this reputation of being very scary but trust me, I can be much scarier. I really don't want to hurt you, Morales but if it means my nephew and niece get to live, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure they get to live in peace."

Morales laughed, sounding slightly crazy. "There's nothing you can do to me, to make me talk. I've lost my wife, my kids. I've got nothing left to live for!"

"What about Carl? Or Sophia? They played with your children, hell I even looked after yer kids a few times. I was friends with your wife! Doesn't that count for something?" Abby asked. She genuinely didn't want to hurt Morales but like she warned him, she would.

"What does it matter now? They're dead!" Morales exclaimed angrily.

"And who's fault is that? _You_ left the group! If you hadn't left, maybe your family would be here now!" Abby said with as much venom as she could muster.

"Out of those who left with your brother, how many are still alive?" Morales asked, looking at her with pure hate.

Abby chuckled. "Very few actually died because of walkers. Jacquie essentially committed suicide, Andrea and Amy were murdered by a group they were apart of back in Georgia, that they willingly joined. Dale got reckless and wandered off on his own, one of only two who actually died because of a walker. Shane tried to kill my brother, so he could steal Lori and Carl from him, so I put a bullet in his head. Lori died giving birth to Judith. T died because some asshole in the prison we were living in, let a herd of walkers in. He died saving Sophia and Carol's life and they're still alive. So are Glenn, Daryl and Carl. That Dwight asshole nearly killed me, which was why I wasn't there when Negan caught Rick and my other friends, but he'll pay for what he did to Rick, Carl and the friends he's murdered."

Morales laughed. "You think Negan is a monster, but have you looked in the mirror?"

Abby laughed also. "I have, and I know I'm a monster, I've never denied that. I was monster long before the dead rose up. It used to bother me but now I'm okay with it. The difference between Negan and I, is Negan does his shit for personal gain trying to disguise it as looking out for his people. Me, I'm monster so others won't have to. I kill so they can be free, so they can have a chance at living like they did before the dead rose."

"It's a matter of perspective. You see yourself as the hero, as do your people. Negan sees himself as a hero and so do I."

"Yeah, but I don't melt off peoples faces because they steal when they're hungry or try to leave." Abby said as she pulled out her knife. "Anyways, enough stalling. Your friends are all dead and no one is coming to save you, so you might as well speak."

"Abby is everything alright?" Sasha asked as she entered the room.

Abby looked over her shoulder. "Fine. Rick said there was a baby in that room over there." Abby said indicating a door off to her right. "Can you take her, I don't want her to hear Morales scream."

"Abby…" Sasha started.

"Just do it!" Abby snapped, cutting her off.

She heard Sasha exhale in frustration but didn't argue any further as she went into the room. As Sasha gathered up the baby, Abby pulled out a wade of fabric from one of her pockets, then unraveled it and looked at the two vials in her hand.

"You know what, I'm feeling generous today, so I'll take you down the less painful route." Abby said as she pulled out a syringe from her pocket, pulled off the cap of the needle and stuck it into one of the vials. "You know I've interrogated people before. In the middle of a warzone, you don't always have the resources, so you use more ancient forms of torture. Breaking things, cutting things off or just stabbing them, maybe popping off a knee cap. But there has been the odd time when I've been able to employ more…modern tactics, like these." Abby held out both vials, so Morales could see both. "They have long technical names but essentially, one is a truth serum, yes that is a thing. The other makes everything _very_ painful. I had originally planned on giving you that, cut off your finger, maybe cut a couple slices into you, but I for the memory of you wife and kids, I'll be nice."

Abby turned her head as she heard Sasha emerge from the room, carrying a baby who had to be less than six months old, then turned back to Morales as Sasha disappeared down the hall. "Just you and me now, friend." Abby said getting to her feet and putting the vials in her pocket then knelt beside him. Morales started thrashing like a fish on land, trying to prevent her from sticking him but she just pressed her thumb against a painful pressure point in his neck, stilling him long enough for her to plunge the needle into his arm and dispense the fluid into him.

Abby put the cap back on the needle then sat down in her chair once more. Morales glared at her for a moment then started to blink hard and shake his head. Abby watched him for another couple minutes, then finally sat forward.

"How you feelin'?" Abby asked.

"Woozy." Morales answered. If the serum wasn't working, Morales wouldn't had answered at all, so Abby continued her questions.

"Do you know why we came here?"

"For the guns." Morales answered, his words slurring slightly.

"And, where are they?" Abby asked.

"Not here, the chemical plant. To take out the Kingdom's fighter's. Weaken your attack." Morales laughed. "Your war will be over before it starts."

Abby shot to her feet then changed her radio to the Kingdom's channel as she ran for the stairs. "All Knight's pull back! I repeat, all Knight's pull back! The heavy guns are in the chemical factory locked and hot! Do not engage! I repeat, do not engage!"

"Roger that, S1, pulling back." Abraham's voice came over the radio, along with gun fire.

"Sit tight, delta. Extra help is on the way." Abby said then burst through the doors.

Abby immediately slid to a stop as she saw no one at first, then saw Sasha roll up in a car. "Get in." She said.

Abby climbed into the car and slammed the door as Sasha squealed her tires as she peeled off. "Where's Rick and Daryl?" Abby asked.

"They over heard your orders to Abe, they just took off." Sasha said as she flew down the highway. "I stayed back since you came with Rick.

"What happened with the baby?" Abby asked as she awkwardly took her backpack off and pulled her rifle out.

"Gabriel brought her and Jack back to Hilltop." Sasha said with a shrug. "Morales got all his digits?"

Abby smirked over at Sasha. "The bastard got lucky, I was in a good mood. He's even still breathing, we'll need to pick him up later."

They continued down the highway for short distance, then Sasha slowed down for the corner just enough as not to fly off the road but still ended up drifting around the corner. They drove the short distance to the factory then slid to a halt as they saw the Kingdom fighters, fighting off a herd of walkers. As Abby got out, she slung her sniper rifle across her back then lifted her now reloaded M-16 assault rifle and started firing carefully at the approaching walkers. Abby saw Abraham leading the fight, he even had Ezekiel's people in formation.

"Gunney, we'll take care of these lame brains, you go after Rick and Daryl. They're in pursuit of the guns, they may need your assistance." Abraham's voice came over her ear piece.

"Roger that, Sarge." Abby said smirking as she started backing up.

Sasha glanced briefly over at her. "You go ahead, I'll continue helping Abe and Ezekiel."

Abby nodded her head. "Alright, just makes sure you get yourself, Abraham and the others all back home safely."

Sasha just nodded her head then trotted forward to join in with the Kingdom's men. Abby watched for a second longer then turned and trotted back to the car. She threw both guns onto the seat beside her then fired up the engine and took off for the highway. She had driven for only five minutes when she spotted a jeep was stalled in the middle of the highway then saw an explosion half a mile down the road.

When she slammed on her brakes, she saw a Harley leaned up against the guard on the road and a pillar of smoke coming from the ditch below. Abby grabbed her M-16 and sniper rifle then ran to the guard rail and looked over the side to see her brother and Daryl just watching the flames as smaller explosion's continued to go off.

"Get away from there you dumb asses!" Abby called over the side. "If there's any ammunition in that truck, it could fire off and shoot you!"

Both men looked up at her in surprise, then started up the steep side of the ditches embankment. Abby reached over to give Daryl a hand as he scrambled up the last couple feet but ignored her hand and made a final push for the rail. When he finally climbed over the side, Abby looked at him unhappily.

"Do we need to have that conversation again 'bout spinning yer wheels and expending energy unnecessarily." Abby said as she crossed her arms.

"Your right shoulder is still healing from being shot and left wrist is barely healed." Daryl growled. "I'm more likely to hurt you, then you bein' able to help me."

"You need to talk to yer husband." Rick growled as he too finally climbed over the side, blood coming from the side of his face.

Abby frowned as she looked at him, he hadn't been bleeding when he left their location. "What happened to you?"

Rick glared at Daryl. "Ask him. And FYI, Daryl, she's likely to see things my way, no matter how angry she is." Rick turned and walked to where she'd parked the car. "I'm takin' the car, I'm sure Daryl will give you a ride back."

"Rick…" Daryl called as he followed after him.

"There is a plan." Rick said, stopping but not turning back. "We have to see it through."

"It's not a plan." Daryl said in disagreement, making Abby frown.

"Yeah and we gotta." Rick said firmly as he reached into the back of the car and grabbed Abby's bag. He handed Abby her bag then finally looked back at Daryl. "Choke hold is illegal, asshole."

Abby didn't know whether she should laugh or be concerned. "Yeah it is." Daryl said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"You put a choke hold on Rick!" Abby finally exclaimed, finally settling on angry.

"Good luck with that." Rick said then climbed inside the car.

Daryl held his hand up to Abby, like he expected for her to hold off on her anger. She swatted his hand angrily away, but Daryl continued his train of thought anyway. "Are you sure about them?"

"Yes I am." Rick said then slammed the car's door.

"Hey! Don't you two ignore me, what the hell happened?" Abby asked angrily.

"I gotta get goin', but you two take care of each other. Hopefully I won't be gone too long." Rick said then took off before she could say anything.

"Rick." She yelled as he drove off, then turned to glare at Daryl. "Explain." Abby said through clenched teeth.

Daryl rolled his eyes, which only made Abby even more angry. "We had a disagreement, that's all."

"A disagreement that ended in you beatin' the crap outta my brother and putting him in a choke hold!?" Abby asked in exasperation.

"I want to blow a hole into the side of the Sanctuary, but Rick disagreed. He was too concerned with the workers, but I told him we could put it on the north side, so workers would have to time to retreat up to the second level." Daryl said passionately, trying to get her to see it his way. "We could end this today!"

Abby shook her head. "Short cuts rarely end well, especially in war."

"And the longer we wait, the more of our friends will die!" He said starting to get up in her face.

Abby's face hardened. "Are you seriously trying to intimidate me into seeing things your way?" Abby asked flabbergasted at his behavior. He's been mad at her before, but he's never tried to force his opinion her, he's never attacked aggressively towards her. Sure, Rick has gotten in her face more than a few times, but his body language was different then Daryl's was now. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Daryl put his hands on the side his head as shock acrossed his face. "Babe…I'm sorry…I just." Daryl took several steps back as his shock turned to guilt and self-loathing.

"I get that you went through something." Abby said angrily "but that don't give you right to treat me or anyone else like shit. I'm your wife and Rick is your family, we're the people who love you. We are not your enemy!"

Daryl dropped his hands and deflated. "I…I just want them to pay." He said quietly. "For what they did to me, what they did to you and what they could to other people I care about. I…I would never hurt you."

Abby softened slightly but she didn't let her anger recede completely. "I know you wouldn't, Daryl. We're supposed to be better than them." Abby said. "Doing what you want us to do, makes us just as bad. I might be willing to do a lot for our people, for you but I'm not willing to murder innocent women and children."

Daryl gently laid his hands on the side of her neck as he put his head on her shoulder. "I'm just so _angry_. It's like there's this black hole in my heart. The world keeps taking things away from me, things that make me happy. When you got hurt, I vowed I'd get them before they got another chance. Then they killed Tyrese right in front of his sister, violently, then Aaron. They were such good people, much better than me…it should have been me who died, and I even tried to distract Negan away from Sasha as she wailed beside her brother…I wanted him to kill me. Instead, they took me prisoner and killed Aaron instead. I thought maybe you'd be better off without me, that you'd stop gettin' hurt."

Abby's heart finally melted, this was the most he'd opened up to her in a long time. "I need you as much as you need me." She said softly, then lifted his head so she could see his eyes. "What's happened to me, would've happened whether or not you were there but you being here, makes surviving it, worth it. I know you hate Negan, and so do I but if we become like him, you're letting him win." Abby kissed him gently on the lips. "Now let's go check on the Kingdom, then let's go home."

Daryl wrapped his arm around her, giving her a tight hug then turned and walked to his bike.

* * *

Aw, poor Daryl! So tormented! Thanks for the love folks but we're in the home stretch, at least five chapters more to go...maybe more we'll see.

-Shockra


	16. Chapter 16

Hi guys! So sorry for the lateness of my posting this chapter! My weekend got away from me! Stupid thing is, I had this largely edited on Friday. Anyways, without further adieu!

* * *

Abby sat on the floor of their bathroom and rubbed her temples. In the toilet beside her floated her regurgitated lunch she'd just up chucked a moment earlier. She'd been sitting in their living room, going over the intel that both Hilltop and the Kingdom had sent them. Rick had been gone for over a day already and had yet to try and communicate with anyone. The plan was, whether or not he was there in three days, everyone would converge on Sanctuary and execute the final stage of their attack. But now there was an unplanned hiccup that could pull her away from the battlefield…if either her brother or her husband learned about it. She was pregnant…again.

It wasn't entirely a planned pregnancy, at least not yet. Her and Daryl had started talking more about it again and if they weren't in the middle of an all-out war, she'd be ecstatic! She'd also have told Daryl by now, too. She had only found out the night before and she didn't know what to do. The last time, she'd told Daryl fairly quickly, even with their lives not looking to great in that moment. Now, she was scared that if she told him, he would lock her up in the cell that was only a door down from their home, until the war was over. Part of her was terrified for her own safety too.

Losing their last child had nearly broken her. If she lost another, she wasn't sure if either her or Daryl could handle it and if Daryl lost the both of them, she wondered if he would even find any more reason to keep breathing. She wasn't as far along as when she had tested the last time, this time the tester told her two to three weeks, which would have been around the time she'd broken Daryl out of Sanctuary.

A banging on her front door, broke Abby from her thoughts. She used the counter to pull herself off of the cold ceramic floor and left the room. When she opened the front door, Denise stood there looking very worried. Abby frowned as she bent over for her boots by the door.

"What is it?" Abby asked as she shoved her first foot into her boot.

"It's Carl, he went slinking off into the woods." Denise said as she wrung her hands worriedly. "He came to me yesterday, asked me what the right thing to do was."

Abby frowned as she straightened. "Right thing to do about _what_?"

"He was talking to me about his mom originally then he started talking about this man him and Rick had encountered in the woods few days back." Denise said. "Carl thought the man meant no harm, but Rick ran him off…I think Carl went to go find him."

Abby cursed as she grabbed her pistol and assault rifle, then trotted out of the door. As she approached the gate, Tara came running over to her. "Abby!" She called as he ran over. "Michonne and Rosita just took off!"

Abby growled in frustration. "What? Where?"

"One of the residents over heard them talking, they're heading for Sanctuary." Tara replied.

"What?" Abby asked in exasperation.

Abby looked around then saw Daryl working on the motorcycle. Abby put two fingers in between her lips and whistled loudly. When he looked up, she waved him over. When he stopped beside her, she pointed at him and Tara.

"You two, go after Michonne and Rosita, drag their asses back here!" She said firmly.

"What are you going to do?" Daryl asked, shocked that she wasn't going with them.

"To find my wandering, naïve nephew." Abby growled.

Daryl frowned. "Maybe I should go after him. I can track him better."

Abby patted him on the shoulder. "You've taught me a lot 'bout tracking and besides, my nephew and I need a heart to heart. He probably wouldn't talk with you around."

Daryl sighed. "Alright but you be careful." Daryl said then kissed her on the cheek.

"I will, you two as well." Abby said.

They both nodded then the two of them went back to the cars as Abby walked for the gate. Once outside the fence, Abby searched the ground for tracks that were Carl's size and matched the type of boot that he wore. Abby remembered Rick mentioning something to her about the encounter with a strange man, so she knew the approximate direction that he should have gone. After half an hour of searching, Abby found a set of tracks that she was reasonably sure was Carl's and started following them. After another half hour of searching, she was regretting the decision to not letting Daryl accompany her, he made tracking look so damn easy.

Abby kept following the tracks until finally, she came across a blue backpack on the ground by a tree. She looked up when she heard a voice telling some one to go. She had been so focused on the tracks that she had been dangerously oblivious to her surroundings. When she looked up, she saw Carl fall back against the corpse of a dead, half chewed elk. Abby instinctively reacted, shooting the walker who was attacking him then ran forward to tackle and stab the second walker, who was about to bend over and attack him also. Abby looked around for her for her next opponent as she got to her feet but when she looked, there no more walkers. Abby grabbed Carl's face as he walked over to her.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, feeling close to tears. "Are you bit?"

Carl looked at her guiltily. "I'm fine, aunty. How did you find me?"

"Denise. She got worried about you. Told me you had left to find bozo over there." Abby said starting to get mad now that she knew he was okay.

Carl sighed. "His name is Siddiq. We were honoring the memory of his mother."

Abby wheeled on the man as he stood there watching. "You thought it was a good idea to attack a herd of walkers with just you and a sixteen year old boy!" She snarled, clenching the rifle that was now in her hands, tightly.

"It was my idea, Aunty." Carl said grabbing her shoulder. "And I'm not a child anymore! I don't need you to protect me!"

Abby wheeled once again, this time towards Carl. "Yes, you are!" She snarled, jabbing her finger into his chest. "If you were an adult, you wouldn't have done something so _stupid_! You coulda died! Do you know what that woulda done to your daddy? To _me_? You are everything to your daddy and I, we'd be devastated if you died."

"We all die one day." Carl said, angrily.

Tears suddenly came to Abby's eye. "Children aren't supposed to die before their parents! And you might not be my son, but I love you to pieces and I'll be damned if you die before me."

Carl solemn up, Abby almost never cried, and she was now crying because of him. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"And I didn't mean to put him into a dangerous situation. There was only three in the beginning." Siddiq said sounding like he felt a little awkward.

Abby stepped back from Carl and dried her eyes before turning around to studying the man. He looked like he'd spent considerable time in the wild, but he didn't have that crazy gleam in his eyes like most people who'd spent their time out there too long.

"Siddiq, huh?" Abby asked, finally composed. "My nephew has gone outta his way to help you. Can I trust you?"

"Yes, you can. Once again, I'm sorry for the danger he got put in." Siddiq said sincerely.

Abby crossed her arms over her chest as she studied him carefully. Finally, Abby nodded. "Fine but don't make me regret letting you into Alexandria."

"Thank you!" Siddiq said sincerely. "I promise, I'll be useful! I was a resident in the E.R. before all of this."

"E.R. doc, huh. Well, I don't know what Carl told you about us or our community but we're in the middle of a war, so someone with E.R. experience will certain come in handy." Abby said, as she walked back to where the backpack still sat on the ground.

"He mentioned the Savior's, they sound like awful people." Siddiq said as he followed her.

"They are." Abby said, anger and hate clear in her voice.

"I'll happily help in almost anyway I can, but I don't kill people…unless there is no other option." Siddiq said as they continued towards Alexandria.

"That's fine, we have others that don't fight. Healing my people is enough." Abby said.

"Siddiq isn't exactly defenseless." Carl said from her other side. "What was it you said? That you'd killed, like two hundred and forty-seven walkers?"

Siddiq looked down bashfully. "Something like that."

Abby just shrugged, not nearly as impressed as Carl. They continued the rest of the way to the gate in complete silence, giving Abby a chance to stew. When they walked through the front gate, Abby stopped and asked the guard, Holly, if Daryl and Tara had come back yet with Michonne and Rosita, but they hadn't. So, Abby ordered Carl to go home to clean up and wait for her, she wasn't done reaming him out yet.

She guided Siddiq to the clinic where Denise sat reading, waiting for potential patients. She looked up surprised, when the walked in but she set the book she was reading, down and walked over as Abby ordered Siddiq to sit down on one of the beds.

"This is Siddiq, he's been out in the wilds for a while. Can you check him over?" Abby asked.

"Sure." Denise agreed as she started moving around the room.

Abby looked back at Siddiq. "I'll send someone to find you a place to stay and get you set up. Denise, can you come find me when yer done?"

"Sure." Denise said again as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Siddiq's arm.

Abby left them then, found the person in charge of settling new people, told them to set a guard to watch Siddiq discreetly then went to Rick's house to find Carl. She arrived to hear the shower running, so she sat at the top of the steps and waited for him to come out. When he came out of the bathroom, he looked at her shocked to see her sitting there, then walked over to her. Abby indicated for him to sit down beside her, and when he did, she looked over at him.

"From now on, you ain't leavin' without sayin' something to me or your dad, you hear me?" Abby said firmly.

Carl's face darkened. "You're not my mother! Stop tryin' to be her!" He said angrily.

"I'm not trying to be your mother." Abby said, feeling exhausted. "But I am responsible for you and your sister when your daddy isn't around."

"And Dad left me in charge of Alexandria while he's gone." Carl said testily as he got to his feet. "I'm sorry that I worried you, Aunty but I can take care of myself." Carl marched down the steps.

"Carl!" Abby called angrily as she followed him down the steps. "Don't walk away from me!" She yelled then promptly got the front door slammed in her face as she tried to follow him.

"I'll go talk to him." Sophia said from behind Abby, startling her. Abby had no idea that she was even in the house.

Abby put a hand to her rapidly beating heart. "You don't have do that."

"He'll listen better to me." Sophia said as she grabbed for the door.

"Because yer his girlfriend?" Abby asked, smiling mischievously.

Sophia's face turned beet red. "M-maybe. He hasn't called me that."

Abby grinned. "It took months for Daryl to call me his girlfriend. Guys are weird that way. Sometimes you just gotta tell 'em how it is."

"I'm just going to make him apologize to you." Sophia said, changing the subject then rushed out of the door.

Abby chuckled as she shook her head then went up the stairs to check in on Judith, who was napping soundly in her new toddler bed. Thankfully, the Savior's hadn't taken her bed or baby things, about the only thing they didn't take. Abby was sitting downstairs living room in one of only two chairs that Rick still had, with the baby monitor and her feet up on a window sill, when Denise walked in.

"Hey." Denise said as she sat in the other chair beside Abby. "You wanted to talk."

Abby sighed, today wasn't a good day for her. "Yeah, sorta. I need to share something with you that I don't think I can tell Daryl or Rick just yet. I just need to tell someone, and you've always been helpful to me."

Denise put her hand on Abby's. "I'll help you anyway I can."

Abby took a couple deep breathes then looked at Denise. "I'm pregnant again."

Denise immediately smiled then her expression became concerned. "How are you feeling? You said Doctor Carson told you to not get pregnant too soon again."

"Ill. I've been vomiting for the last few days." Abby said, just thinking about it made her stomach turn.

"And Daryl hasn't noticed?" Denise asked, shocked.

"Not yet. It usually happens after lunch and he's been so busy with this stupid war." Abby said, sounding slightly bitter.

"Do you not want to tell your husband and brother because you're afraid they'll sideline you?"

Abby snickered bitterly. "Oh, trust me they will."

"Maggie is still in this war." Denise reminded her.

"But that's Maggie. There's a bit of a double standard with me and with what happened to me before, they'd lock me in a cell before letting me continue fighting in this war."

"They might surprise you. Aren't you scared of something happening to you?"

"Sure, but I'm more scared of my baby growing up with a man like Negan at the helm. So, I'm going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that doesn't happen."

Denise was silent for a long moment as she studied Abby, then finally looked out of the window they sat beside. "Daryl has a right to know. I get why you don't want to tell him just yet, but this is his child too. Maybe this baby will calm him down again."

Abby snickered. "It'll more likely make him even more angry and more desperate to have this war over." Abby said shaking her head. "He's barely thinking straight as it is, this will blind him" Abby continued, putting her hand on her stomach.

"Well its your body, your relationship and you know Daryl the best." Denise said patting her shoulder. "Does the Kingdom have an ultrasound machine?"

Abby shook her head. "I don't think so, they don't have electricity but maybe they would be willing to let one come with me to Hilltop or even to Sherwood."

"Sherwood?" Denise asked. "Is that where our people disappeared too?"

Abby chuckled. "Yeah, nobody but a select few know about it…so don't tell anyone. It's not the official name but that's Abraham started calling it. He said that they were like Robin Hood and his Merry Men, hiding like outlaws in the woods." Abby paused then nodded her head. "That's a good idea."

Denise looked at her like she was a little crazy. "What's a good idea?"

"The Savior's don't know about Sherwood and I was thinking we should send you and any of our other non-combatants there." Abby said, getting to her feet. "It's not the homiest of places but its safe and its hidden. And if Alexandria and the other two communities fall, our people will be safe there. Get people still with kids together and anyone else who's a non-combatant to the church, I want meet with them in an hour."

Denise sighed as she got to her feet. "I imagine that includes me."

"Yes ma'am." Abby said picking up the baby monitor as she headed for the door.

Denise followed her then continued through the door as Abby stopped when Judith suddenly started crying. Sighing, Abby turned back and went upstairs. Once she gathered Judith up, grabbed a container of toddler approved food and Judith's favorite doll, she finally walked out of the door with Judith on her hip. Sasha walked up to her as she walked down the street and smiled as she reached out for Judith. Abby let her take Judith from her as they continued down the street together.

"You have that look." Sasha said as she walked along side her.

Abby smirked as she looked over at the other woman. "What look?"

"The one that says you're on a mission to do something that Rick might not like." Sasha replied, returning the smirk.

Abby laughed. "Hmm, I think you may know me a little too well."

Sasha's smirk turned to a grin. "Out with it."

"It's nothing earth moving or anything. I was just going to move our non-combatants to a safer location." Abby said.

Sasha nodded her head. "I was wondering when we might do that."

Abby looked at Sasha guiltily. "Could I ask you to guide them there? Just to Sherwood, then you can come back here. I just don't trust any of them with the information."

Sasha sighed, not looking entirely impressed but she nodded her head. "Fine. When will we be leaving?"

"As soon as I talk to them and they pack up, you'll be on the road." Abby said, then reached for Judith. "I'll pack her stuff up."

"Will Carl be joining us?" Sasha asked.

"I would like him to, but I highly doubt that, and I doubt he'll listen to me if I tried to order him." Abby said tiredly.

"He's being a rebellious teenager, huh." Sasha said as she started moving away.

Abby sighed. "Yyyeah."

Abby waved at Sasha as she turned around then returned to Rick's house to pack Judith's things. An hour later, Abby paced the stage of the church as she held Judith in her arms once more. After she told them her plan, she asked them if they had any questions.

One woman raised her hand then stood up looking uncomfortable. "Does Rick know you're doing this? I thought we were safe from the Saviors!"

Abby shook her head. "Not yet. We've got them cornered for the time being but that could change at any moment. When they do get out, the first place they'll come, is here."

"So, if we leave for this place now, we'll have a lot less of a chance of running into the Saviors." Denise said firmly. "I think Abby has the right idea, by the time Rick returns the Saviors could be banging on our gate."

Several of the residents nodded their heads in agreement. When nobody else spoke up, Abby told them what to pack and when to be ready by. They parted ways then to go and pack their things. Half an hour later, Carl and Sophia stood next to Abby as Abby handed Judith off to Denise.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Denise asked worriedly as she took Judith.

Abby patted her arm. "We'll be fine." Abby said then turned to the teenagers. "Are you two sure that you don't want to go with them?"

Carl rolled his eye, still mad at her. "Dad left me in charge, I'm not going to just leave."

Sophia gave him the stink eye as she elbowed him, then looked at Abby. "I'm tired of being the scared little girl that relies on everyone else to protect me. It's my turn to contribute, to help protect other people."

Abby smiled as she touched Sophia's face. "Yer definitely no little girl any more." Abby said then placed her hand on the top of Sophia's head then brought it straight across to her own head. "Yer damn near as tall as me and I ain't short."

Sophia smiled. "I'm almost taller than Carl!"

Finally, Carl smiled. "No, you're not!"

Abby took a step back. "Yeah, I think she just might be."

"Abby's right." Sasha said as she came over. "I think Sophia _is_ taller." Sophia laughed and shoved at Carl as he shook his head as Sasha looked back at Abby, smiling as she continued. "We're all set."

Abby turned to Sasha as the teenagers continued to tease each other. "Alright, good luck to you guys. I'll keep my radio on in case you run into trouble."

Sasha nodded her head. "Right, and I'll radio you when we arrive safely."

"That'd be great." Abby said then stepped forward and gave Sasha a hug. "Be safe."

"Yeah, you too. Don't start the party without me." Sasha said into her hair.

The two women stepped back, then Abby watched Sasha climbed behind the wheel of the lead car as Denise climbed into the passenger side and drive off. On top of the people who were going, Abby had sent four of the big solar panels, some food since there would be less people to feed and some other things they'd recently acquired such as furniture, that she wanted to keep out of the Savior's hands.

111

Just before sun down, Daryl rolled through the gates with Tara, Rosita and Michonne sitting in the passenger seats. Carl, Sophia and Abby were all standing around the island in Rick's kitchen, munching on their supper, when the four of them stepped into the house. Abby quirked an eyebrow as they all walked in, Daryl looking immensely guilty as he kept his eyes glued to the ground.

"Did you chase them all of the way back to Georgia?" Abby asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly." Tara said, looking at Daryl sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Abby." Michonne said, looking almost as guilty as Daryl. "This was all my fault, but I don't regret going. I just had to see Sanctuary for myself."

"And if Michonne and I hadn't gone, some of the Saviors on the outside would have lead that herd off." Rosita finished, looking hostile and unapologetic.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain Daryl." Abby said pointing at him as he continued to look at the ground. When he heard his name, he glanced up through his bangs then immediately looked down when he saw her looking at him.

The other three looked between themselves, then finally Rosita spoke up once more. "Daryl and Tara saved our asses. Those assholes had a mountain of speakers blaring music on the back of a truck. Michonne and I nearly stopped them but one got away, into that truck and took off. If Daryl hadn't tee-boned that vehicle, they'd have gotten away. After that, Michonne and I insisted on going to Sanctuary. To his credit, Daryl did resist at first. In the end, we found this garbage truck and loaded it up with explosives we found in the Saviors warehouse. Michonne and Tara backed out at the last second, but Daryl and I followed through…with Morgan and the other snipers help."

Abby's face darkened exponentially, making even Carl nervous. "What did you do?" Abby snarled.

Daryl finally looked up. "I'm so sorry, babe. I couldn't just sit around and wait! They had to pay!"

"This is my fault, it's my idea!" Rosita said, interrupting him. "I pushed him into it, he wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for me."

"What did you do?" Abby snarled again.

Rosita pressed her lips in a line, seemingly afraid of her for the first time. "We blew a hole into the side of Sanctuary."

Daryl was about to say something, but Abby's look stopped him. "How dare you!" Abby snarled at Daryl. "I thought you were done with your stupid shit. First you try to intimidate me into seeing things your way, now you completely disregard what we had already agreed on. Maybe I should've just left you there, like Rick wanted. I certainly haven't gotten my husband back, I'm pretty sure he's still locked in that cell, so its not like things would feel different for me!"

"Abby! You don't mean that!" Michonne said, shocked by her harsh words.

"Hey! I ain't the only one who hasn't been them self!" Daryl growled, angry with her words. "You haven't been you since that damn church in Georgia!"

Abby held her hands up as she shook her head. "I'm done with this conversation, I'm going to bed. Daryl don't even try to come home." Abby growled. She could feel her emotions welling up and turned away to march towards the door before the water works started.

Abby marched to the door, then outside as Carl called after her. She heard Michonne call him back, but Carl ignored her and continued after Abby. Finally, Carl caught up to her and gently grabbed her shoulder. She stopped for him but didn't turn around, so he wouldn't see the tears running down her cheeks.

"Auntie, what's wrong? It can't just be what they did. You're never that mean to Daryl!" Carl said, worry clear in his voice.

"I'm fine Carl, its just been a long day." Abby said managing to keep her voice controlled. "I'm going to sleep and so should you."

"Is it my fault? For going outside?" Carl asked worriedly. "For being disrespectful?"

Abby sighed. "No. This has nothing to do with you Carl. Go to bed, kiddo. I'll be fine in the morning."

Carl was silent for several long moments, maybe waiting for her to turn around but when she didn't, Carl's hand dropped away. "A-alright…good night."

111

The following morning, Abby laid on her side in her sleeping bag on the ground, staring miserably at the door of their en suite bathroom. She didn't particularly want to wake up and face the day; she was exhausted, emotionally drained. Part of her wanted to numb herself like she had when her first child had died but the hormones that now wreaked havoc in her body, would hardly allow that.

The door to the bedroom suddenly opened, startling Abby as she turned to look over her shoulder to see Daryl standing uncertainly in the doorway. Abby was too tired to even send him away, so she just turned away and resumed staring at the wall. Daryl remained where he was for a moment then walked along the wall to where the door to their small balcony, stood. He put his back to then slid down to the ground and stared silently out of the window for a few minutes.

"Carl's right, there's something up with you." Daryl said quietly. "We've argued before, said hurtful things but you've never spoken to me like that before."

Abby squeezed her eyes shut, he was right, she never spoke to him like that and she did regret what she had said to him, but she was tired of this war. She didn't want to fight anymore and what they had done yesterday made her snap, took the wind from her sails. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I didn't mean it and you didn't deserve to be reprimanded like that."

"I shouldn't have done what I did, you had a right to be angry but…what you said." Daryl sounded so hurt, that it broke her heart. "I know I haven't been myself but…have I been _that_ different? Have I been that intolerable?"

Abby rolled back a little but still didn't look at him full on. "You're not intolerable but you've been angry a lot. I get why, you have a right to be. I just…" Abby sighed as squeezed her eyes shut again. "I can't do this any more. Killing, fighting, watching the people I care about die…and not just physically. Carl should be able to just be a teenager! Discovering what its like to kiss a girl, want to get his drivers, get caught partying, not fighting to protect his own life and the lives of dozens. Rick…he used to so infuriatingly calm, he used to have such a good sense of humor. Now he's so violent, he doesn't trust _any_ one! Apparently not even me!"

"He trusts you." Daryl said softly. "More than anyone."

"He locked me up, Daryl!" Abby said as tears started trickling down her cheek.

"Not because he didn't trust but to protect you. It might've not been his shining moment, but he wanted to protect you from harm." Daryl crawled across the floor and put a hand on Abby's shoulder, so Abby buried her face into her pillow, so he couldn't see her tears. "Just like I'm trying to protect you. I swear, I wasn't trying to intimidate you or undermine you. I'd never lay a hand on you and…I wasn't thinkin' when I blew that hole into the side of that building. From now on, I'll do whatever you say."

"I don't want you to be a mindless drone." Abby said, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm just tired Daryl, you and the other just had very bad timing."

Daryl was silent for a moment, then Abby felt him stroke her hair. "What's going on with you?" He asked gently. "You didn't just have a bad day."

"Why are you being so forgiving? So calm?" Abby asked, her face still in her pillow.

"Because I love you and I know you didn't mean what you said. I might have a burning hate for the Saviors and Negan but my love for you is much greater than my hate." He said as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "Now stop avoiding looking at me and tell me what's wrong."

Abby finally rolled back, her face now wet with tears. Daryl expression went from worried to very concerned as he wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of his hand. Abby sniffled a little as she looked at him, she couldn't believe she had been so cruel to this man, her man.

Abby lip quivered as her emotions welled up. "I'm pregnant."

Daryl's face went from worried to shock to delight then back to worried. "H-how far?"

"Two or three weeks." Abby answered as she looked away.

Daryl sighed as he gently laid his forehead on her collarbone. After a moment, he lifted his head once more. "You're going to the base with the others, out of harms way."

Abby shook her head as she pushed him back, so she could sit up. "I'm tired of fighting but I'll be damned if this baby will be born into a world where it has to live under Negan's thumb."

"And I'll be damned if I'll let something happen to you or our baby again." Daryl said passionately as he placed a hand on the side of her face. "It ripped my heart out when our first child died, I will not go through that again and I will not watch you go through that again."

Abby wiped the tears from her face. "I can't tap out of this fight Daryl! We started this, now we have to finish it! Look, I promise to stay back, stay as far from trouble as I can, but I can still be a sniper, I can still help plan this war. Where ever I go, you go or someone you trust to look after me, okay?"

Daryl was silent for several long moments as he stared at her. Finally, he sighed as he closed his eye. "Fine but no dangerous cowboy shit, you hear me!"

"That goes two ways, mister." Abby said firmly. "You can't go off, blowing holes into buildings against both mine and Rick's wishes. The Kingdom and Hilltop voted for Rick to be in charge, so we have to respect that. We can only win this war by working _together_!"

Daryl's jaw muscles flexed as he clenched his teeth together, unhappy, but he nodded his head. "Promise me one thing, that Negan will die."

Abby nodded her head. "He will. I promise. He'll die, just like the Governor."

Daryl gently grabbed Abby's face. " _Not_ like the Governor. You just said you wouldn't do any cowboy shit."

Abby rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on sneaking into Sanctuary and assassinating him! If I thought I could do that here, I would have done that when I got you out. He needs to be separated from his people with no chance of rescue. Killing him, though, won't end this war. We need to get rid of his lieutenants, then we need to offer them peace."

Daryl frowned. "Peace?"

"Yes, we can't kill them all. It'll make us just as bad as them! We need to be better than them, both physically and morally."

"And how do we do that?" Daryl asked, cynically.

Abby shook her head. "I don't know but I'll let you know when I do."

* * *

So big news for Abby and Daryl! Let me know what you think!

-Shockra


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! Yay! I posted this chapter on time! I finally figured out what I want to do with Negan and the Savior's! I can't wait to share it with you...but not today! Haha!

* * *

"Do I need to repeat what I said this morning?" Daryl growled as he approached Abby as she knelt on the ground.

"I'm not doing any _cowboy shit_." Abby said as she made some air quotations. "I'm making a contingency plan."

"And what kind of plan is that?" Daryl asked as he pointed to the spot where she had just buried something.

"The kind that goes boom." Abby said. "If the Savior's make it to back here, I don't want them to be able to leave again."

"Yer booby trapping the place." Daryl said, smirking slightly. "They might see that comin' since we did that the last time."

Abby smirked. "In case you didn't notice, we're further back and the explosives aren't where you think they are."

Daryl frowned as he looked around. "Then where are they?"

"Under the road. I did both gates. I also left some duds around for them to find, give them the false sense of security…if they think to look." Abby said as she finally stood up and looked around her for something to disguise the hole she'd dug.

"How'd you get it under the road?" Daryl asked as he looked back towards the pavement.

Abby pointed to the duffel bag which lay on the ground beside her. "Sasha arrived this morning, bearing gifts. Explosives and toys to plant explosives. Abraham had been at Sherwood when she arrived, he told her to bring these to me."

"He went back to Hilltop?" Daryl asked as he walked over to the bag and peered inside.

"Yeah, he's doing the same for them…just in case." Abby answered as she grabbed the bag, which Daryl immediately relieved her of. "He also grabbed a couple of sniper rifles."

"Where to next?" Daryl asked as he looked around.

"Back inside, I'm done. Besides, we have a meeting to get to." Abby replied as she started for the gate. "Have you heard any update from the snipers watching Sanctuary?"

Daryl frowned as he followed her. "No but we'll find out soon enough. We leave at midnight. Hopefully the other groups will be there."

Abby nodded her head. "No way Abraham, Maggie or Glenn would let Hilltop sit on their hands. The Kingdom took heavy casualties, but they should still be there, Carol is pretty good at convincing people."

Daryl glared off into the distance as they walked inside the gate. "And Morgan is good at convincing people to not fight."

"He nearly lost someone who he cared for like a son, I don't think he's feeling quite so giving anymore." Abby said as she shook her head.

"Maybe." Daryl replied, although Abby was pretty sure he only relented to make her happy.

They went to where people gathered for their final meeting, like always in the church. When they entered the building, Gabriel walked to the front and silenced everyone as Abby walked down the center aisle to the stage and Daryl sat down between Sasha and Carl.

"Hey, ya'll." Abby started as she stood on the stage. "I know yer all scared shitless right now and you have every right to be. What we're planning, it's dangerous but if we succeed, life will come all that much better." Abby paused a moment as she looked at the twenty-three people who where still in Alexandria to fight for their freedom. They look terrified but most of them looked at her with trust and willingness. "I ain't going to lie to ya'll, some of you are going to die and some of you will get injured but if you believe we will win, then we will. Faith in yer self and faith in those are around you, is half the recipe for success in battle. Look after each other and remember those whom yer fighting for and you'll find all the strength you'll need to fight."

Abby then went into detail of each person's assignment. Much to Carl's chagrin, him and Sophia would be staying back with Siddiq and two other people to protect Alexandria's walls. Abby would be leaving them with grenades, two large caliber machine guns, one for each gate, to make up for the lack of man power. Tara, Daryl, Rosita and Michonne would lead their own units in a frontal attack while Abby and Sasha would act as their lookouts and direct the battle as much as possible and coordinate with the other two groups.

When she finished giving everyone their assignments, everyone dispersed to get things ready, all except Daryl, Rosita and Tara. Tara looked over her shoulder as the group retreated outside, then looked back at Daryl then Abby.

"I take it you two made up?" Tara asked, earning a glare from Abby. "Sorry, that kind of came out rudely." She immediately said, looking pained.

"What she means is, we wanna tell you about something, but we don't particularly wanna have you to explode on us." Rosita said as she crossed her arms.

"Hey!" Daryl growled immediately coming to her defense. "You don't know jack about what goes on behind closed doors! She had a bad day, people say stupid shit when they're tired."

"Awfully understanding of you considering what she said. I'm impressed." Tara said looking at him surprised.

"I suggest you move on with whatever you wanted to say if you don't want to make me angry." Abby growled, very irritated with both women.

"Right." Tara said, not terribly fazed by Abby's anger while Rosita bristled. "We found some stuff that we thought you might find interesting." Tara continued then started moving to the door.

They were half way down the aisle when the doors banged opened and in stepped Merle. "Daddy's home!" He said loudly then laughed as he walked in and threw an arm around Abby's shoulder and thumped Daryl on the back with his stub.

"What're you doin' here, Merle?" Daryl asked tiredly.

"Came to help! No one knows the Saviors better than me!" Merle said grinning.

"I thought you were tired of fighting?" Abby asked quirking an eyebrow.

"I am but once this is done, we'll be doin' it a whole lot less." Merle said squeezing Abby's shoulder.

"Do you think you can handle a military issue sniper rifle?" Abby asked. "I remember you being pretty good with a hunting rifle."

Merle grinned. "I sure can! Negan had two, I practiced with one. I managed to figure out the only one hand thing."

"Good. Then you can help out Sasha and I." Abby said nodding her head.

"Sure, thing boss." Merle said grinning.

"Daryl, why don't you take your brother to Sasha?" Abby suggested. "She can fill him in on the details while I go with these two."

Daryl nodded his head. "Fine, find me when yer done." Daryl glared at the two women, then him and Merle walked off.

"You're actually going to trust him!?" Rosita asked in exasperation.

Abby rolled her eyes. "All you know about Merle is what you've heard from others."

"Yeah and from what I heard, he tortured Glenn and Maggie then tried to kill Michonne!" Rosita said in exasperation. "Not to mention he was a Savior!"

"He actually never touched Maggie, it was the Governor who hurt her, and Merle was trying to find his brother. We also left him to die on the roof of a building in the middle of Atlanta, so he had reason to be a little pissed. Merle's actually very loyal to his brother and I think he's tired of being a vicious sumabitch."

"Denise didn't think he was all that bad, just the product of his environment. She thought that if he was exposed to a gentler environment he might soften up a bit. Like Daryl." Tara said as they walked down the street.

Abby sighed. "Can we move on? What is it you wanted to show me?"

Tara stopped as Rosita continued forward to the tailgate of a small truck then dropped it. "This." Rosita said as she indicated the painted wooden boxes with labels on them.

Abby stepped forward and looked at the labels carefully, they were smoke bombs and a few grenades, as well as some air horns that rolled around in the back of the truck loosely and a long coil of rope. Abby nodded her head as she looked it over.

"Leave the grenades here and split up the smoke bombs for here and our attack units, they could come in handy." Abby said.

Tara looked over at Abby worriedly. "Do you really think there's a chance they could attack?"

Abby looked off at the main gate. "I hope not but we haven't heard from the snipers in over a day, that concerns me. If they get out and manage to get by us without us seeing them, Carl will need to be able to defend this place until we get back here."

"Their batteries could just be dead." Tara suggested.

Abby sighed. "Let's hope that's all it is. I better go find Daryl again, we'll have one last meeting in front of the gate before we leave."

The two women nodded then started unloading the truck as Abby walked over to where Sasha, Daryl and Merle stood, still talking. Sasha handed Merle a sniper rifle as Abby walked over and Merle used his one arm to support the barrel of the gun while he grasped the stock and looked through the scope.

"You sure you can handle that Merle?" Abby asked skeptically as she stepped up beside Daryl. "It's not like your hunting rifle."

Merle glared at her momentarily then slung it over his shoulder. "I'll be fine. You sure you wanna send my baby brother into the shit storm? He ain't exactly the soldiering type."

"You've been gone a long time, Merle." Sasha said shaking her head as Daryl glared at his brother. "Daryl's one of our best and most versatile. The front lines are exactly where he should be."

"Why ain't you gonna be out there, sweetness?" Merle asked looking at Abby. "That's exactly what yer trained for."

"Yes and no. I'm a sniper Merle, it's what I'm best at. I've led units into hot zones, but I do more damage above the battle field, picking off my enemies. I'll do my best to make sure the enemy doesn't get anywhere near them." Abby said smirking.

"I feel better with her away from the intense fighting anyways." Daryl muttered.

Abby touched Daryl's arm as she looked at Merle and Sasha, hoping they didn't catch what he was suggesting. The last thing she needed was to be bubble wrapped once more. "We've got eight hours before we leave. Finish getting ready, then go catch a couple winks of sleep."

Sasha nodded. "Roger that. I'll meet you by the gate in a couple hours." Sasha said then turned and walked off to where she had previously been staying with Abraham.

"What 'bout me? I ain't sleepin' in no cell and I don't got no preparations to do." Merle asked as he crossed his arms over the rifle.

"Here I thought you enjoyed sleeping in that cell!" Abby said feigning surprise.

"Cute. Now where am I stayin'?" Merle asked again, rolling his eyes.

"Yer no fun." Abby said, smirking. "There's a townhouse two doors down. You can some Z's there. Your buddies took all of our mattresses, so you'll have to sleep on the ground."

"They ain't my buddies." Merle growled. "But I'm fine with sleepin' on the ground, it's still better than sleepin' in the dirt in the middle of winter with walkers behind every tree."

111

The evening had been a surprisingly relaxing one for Abby. She saw to a few details, then joined Daryl in their townhouse for a nap. An hour and a half before they were supposed to leave, Daryl woke her up. They spent the next hour kissing and making love, making sure that if it was their last night together, it'd be a memorable one.

Abby had just pulled on a fresh shirt when a weird sound drew both of their attention. Daryl looked at Abby as Abby looked at him, both frowning as they tried to identify the sound. Whatever it had been, it was definitely coming from the front gate, so they ran down the stairs and had just stepped out of the door when Negan's voice came over a bullhorn.

"You may be wondering why the hell your lookouts haven't sounded the alarm." Negan said as they dashed for the gate. "So lets cut through the cow shit. You lose. It's over. You're going to exit your little houses and work up some apologies. The person with the lamest one, is gonna get killed. And I kill Rick in front of everyone and we move on. You have three, a count of three minutes to open this gate or we start bombing the shit out this place." Negan banged on the gate two more times then started whistling.

Everyone gathered around the last corner near the gate, looking wild eyed and scared. "How'd they get out?" Michonne asked as she stared worriedly towards the gate.

"It don't matter how, they're here." Abby said she looked around at the people who now gathered. "We can't defend this place with so few people and we ain't gonna have Hilltop or the Kingdom swooping in at the last moment to save our butts."

"We need to abandon ship." Carl said solemnly.

Abby nodded. "That's right, we can't fight them here. _We_ need to choose the battleground, not them."

"We can't let them have our home!" Tobin exclaimed, wincing just at the thought of if it.

"Yeah, we can." Abby said firmly. "They're just buildings. We can rebuild. Daryl, Merle, Rosita and Tara. Take two more with you and pile into two cars. Take that dump truck Abraham found, and another vehicle, ram through the back gate and make a run for it when I blow my charges. Lead whoever you can, away from the wall then set up an ambush and kill 'em all. When you're finished, come back through the drainage gate, without being seen. I'm gonna talk Negan up, buy ya'll some time while you get everything we can loaded up into backpacks then Sasha, Michonne and Carl, you lead everyone else to sewers." Abby looked around the group. "We can do this! We just need to survive the night, then we'll destroy those assholes! Let's get moving!"

Everyone parted their separate way, except Daryl who followed Abby towards the gate. "Don't do anything reckless, babe. You've got more to think off then just you and I." Abby glared at Daryl. "Sorry, that came out wrong." Daryl grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Just come back to me."

Abby softened. "I'll do my best and so should you." Abby pulled his face down as Daryl wrapped his arm around her and they kissed, both hoping that it wasn't for the last time.

Abby took a deep breath as she tried to get her mind where she needed it as Daryl trotted off to do his part. She took another deep breath then climbed the ladder onto the platform by the gate. Once at the top, Abby walked casually to the wall and leaned on her forearms and looked down at the group of Saviors with a bored expression on her face.

"Whatcha brayin' 'bout? Rick ain't here and there ain't no one here who has a reason to apologize. If anyone needs to apologize, it's you! Wake all these people!" Abby shook her head in feign disbelief.

"Well if it isn't Rick's super hot sister. I almost wish we waited a few more hours so I could better see that gorgeous face." Negan said then laughed. "The offer still stands. You can still become one of my wives and maybe, just maybe, I'll just kill Rick."

Abby laughed. "Trust me, I know what a pain in the ass Rick can be. He's only been a thorn in yer side for the last few months, I've wanted to kill that bastard my whole life."

"Damn, I like you! You'd fit in way more with my people then those feeble-minded twits." Negan said, grinning.

"You have no idea." Abby said as she straightened up and stretched as she yawned. "I'm curious, what has that fainthearted snake told you 'bout me?" Abby asked as she leaned against the wall once more.

"You mean Eugene?" Negan asked then laughed. "Not a lot, really. Just that you were in the military as a sniper and that you're super loyal to your brother. He did mention that you shouldn't be messed with. Mentioned something about blowing the head off a cop at point blank range."

"He wasn't really a cop anymore. Nobody is what they once were, are they? Hell, Glenn used to deliver pizza's now he's a badass. What Eugene failed to mention was that the asshole hit me with a car, broke some ribs. Do you know how much it sucks running for your life with broken ribs? Hell, just sittin' on the couch sucks when you got broken ribs."

"Can't say I've ever broken my ribs before. I've broken other people's ribs!"

"I'll show you sometime! Hell, I'll even hit you with a car, so you know what almost the whole experience was like." Abby as she straightened up once more.

Negan laughed. "As much as I'm enjoying this back and forth banter, infinitely more entertaining than any conversation than I had with Rick, we got business to attend too."

Abby looked at him as if she was confused. "Do we? I'm pretty sure I mentioned that Rick ain't here."

"I'll kill the prick eventually but for now, I'll settle making an example of one of his people. Then you'll be coming with us, I'm almost certain Rick will come to me to get his little sister back."

Abby smirked crookedly. "You're probably right. Anyways, I got places to be. Ciao!"

Abby quickly ducked down at the same moment that she clicked her detonator's button. All around Alexandria's wall, dirt shot into the air as a loud boom reverberated through the air, then the dirt rained down on Abby as she ran to the ladder and slid down. As Abby ran away from the wall she heard Negan shout, "Light the place up!" angrily, much to Abby's disappointment. She had hoped Negan would've been caught up in the explosion. In the next moment, she heard metal groan as the back gate was ripped opened by Daryl ploughing through it.

Much to Abby's irritation, Carl had been waiting for her behind a barrier and lobbed a smoke grenade towards the gate as she ran towards him. Explosions started erupting all around them, in the streets, inside houses making their retreat difficult as she grabbed Carl's shoulder and propelled him forward. Once he was moving, she let him go so she could fire back at the people who started seeping into the town from where they had managed to pry the gate open enough for people to start coming.

As they were running by one house, it exploded with them right beside it, sending them sprawling on the grass. Abby grabbed her stomach, suddenly panicked but she hauled herself to her feet as her ears rang, dragging her nephew behind her. After shaking off the cobwebs, Carl continued to throw smoke grenades as they went, veiling their retreat.

Finally, they reached the manhole and Abby quickly looked around herself for signs of anyone within visual range, then lifted the lid and indicated for Carl to get in. He sighed in irritation, not wanting her to be the last one out, but he climbed in without any debate. He held the lid open for her, so she could climb in, then climbed down as she grabbed the lid once more.

Once Abby got to the bottom, she stared up at the grate, waited for a shadow to pass over it; a sign that they had been spotted. When none appeared, Abby walked down the tunnel to where most of their people waited. Abby sighed as she put her hand to her stomach, then put her back to the wall and slid down beside her nephew.

Carl frowned as he watched her, as did Sophia who sat beside him. "Are okay?" Carl asked worriedly.

Abby forced a smile on her face as she patted his knee. "I'm good kiddo."

"Are you sure?" Siddiq asked as he came over and knelt down in front of them.

Abby nodded her head. "Yeah. I just got the wind knocked out of me. I'm good."

Carl didn't look convinced, but he didn't press and neither did Siddiq. For the sixth time that day, Abby tired to raise her brother on the radio, pressing the talk button her earpiece but like the last six times, he didn't respond. Half an hour after they'd taken refuge in the sewers, Daryl's group, along with an extra person, finally arrived in the tunnel.

Abby stood up and crossed her arms as Merle shoved Dwight towards her. "Ugly says he's ready to take the plunge. Give us some information."

"I want to kill him, but Daryl wouldn't let me." Tara said unhappily.

Abby looked at Daryl surprised then looked at Tara. "Why do _you_ want him dead?"

"If it wasn't for you, Denise would be dead now. And since you saved her life, this asshole deserves to die for nearly killing you." Tara said firmly. "Also, you might not be the leader of any of the communities, but we still need you."

"I was just doing my job." Dwight said. "It all turned out."

Abby crossed her arms. "Oh? Did it? I still got a broken wrist and you tortured my husband after he _helped_ you!?"

"I can give you information on Negan, his plans, his resources." Dwight said calmly but she could see the fear in his eyes.

"I got Merle and he's considerably less likely to betray me." Abby countered, unimpressed.

"Merle was just a grunt, the muscle, not to mention he hasn't been around for a couple of months." Dwight said as he shook his head. "I am one of his lieutenants, I've been sitting in on Negan's meetings this whole time! And I'll be loyal, Negan melted my face, stole my wife from me! I have no reason to show loyalty to him."

Abby stared him down, but the man didn't look away. "Fine, you want to be one of us? I'll give you a chance but the second I even think you're about to betray us, I'll make you wish you took yer wife and ran when you had a chance."

"I already do." Dwight said quietly.

Abby looked at Tara. "The second he tries to run, you have my permission to shoot him."

Tara nodded her head grimly then shoved Dwight further down the tunnel. Abby had just sat down again, this time with Daryl on her other side and Merle across from her, when her ear piece suddenly crackled. Abby frowned as she pressed her hand to her ear.

"Ab…do…ad?" Came a crackly voice, cutting out so Abby couldn't make out the words.

"Repeat that, I didn't get you." Abby requested as everyone looked her way.

"I..et…at." The voice crackled again.

Abby shook her head. "These tunnels must be interfering with the signal, I'm going up top to get a better signal."

"Like hell you are!" Daryl growled as he stood up and held out his hand. "I'll go up, it's probably Rick."

Abby sighed. After what happened just half an hour earlier, she wasn't going to argue. So, she unclipped the radio from her vest, the removed the ear piece from her ear and handed the radio to Daryl. She watched as Daryl and Rosita both walked down the tunnel then climbed the ladder and disappeared onto the surface. When Abby looked back, Merle quirked an eyebrow.

"What's goin' on with you two?" Merle asked quietly. "He's been insanely protective of you and you didn't even try to fight back when you wanted to go to the surface! You shoulda seen him by the gate, it was all he could do to stay in that truck, then he practically ran us into the ground to get back here."

Abby sighed as she glared at him, but Carl suddenly touched her arm and she turned her head to look at him. Carl was studying her very carefully, then suddenly looked shocked.

"Are you pregnant again?" He asked so quietly that Abby barely heard him.

Abby pressed his lips in a line, unwilling to answer. "The kids right, ain't he! Are you crazy? You lost one, you could lose another with this insanity!" Merle growled, trying to keep his voice down.

Carl suddenly stood up, dragging Abby up with him as he indicated for Siddiq to follow him. Abby pulled her hand from his grasp and gave him a warning looking but instead of trying to order her like she thought, he gave her a pleading look. A look so full of fear and desperation that Abby sighed and let him lead her down the tunnel, knowing full well what he wanted.

"What's going on?" Siddiq asked as they got out of earshot and visual of the others.

"I just found out that my aunty is pregnant, and she got caught in an explosion." Carl said, his tone grim.

Siddiq's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked at Abby. "Is that true?" He finally asked when he recovered from his shock.

Abby sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, I am. Not even a month."

Siddiq cleared his throat then asked silent consent to touch her. Abby sighed in irritation as she nodded then let him press against her stomach.

"Have you had any contractions or bleeding?" Siddiq finally asked.

Abby sighed as she shook her head. "No but it just happened not long ago."

"I'm not a pediatrician but I can't feel anything abnormal, the only thing I can suggest is take it easy. Not a particular easy thing right now." Siddiq as he felt her pulse.

"Which is why I let Daryl go to the surface, instead of going myself." Abby said to Carl.

"You're early enough in your pregnancy that your body might've been able to absorb the impact and it not effect the fetus. Your instincts might've protected you and the fetus also." Siddiq continued as he dropped his hand.

"So, she's okay?" Carl asked as Sasha suddenly appeared beside him.

"Does that mean it's true?" Sasha asked as she looked Abby over carefully. "Are you pregnant?"

"Can you two give us a moment?" Abby asked. Siddiq nodded then forcibly turned Carl as he frowned at her. When they were out of earshot Abby looked back at Sasha. "Yeah I am. Carl is almost as bad as Sophia was about blurting things out."

Sasha smiled then frowned as she became concerned. "You shouldn't be here! You should be at Sherwood, out of danger."

"And what about Maggie? I'm not the only pregnant woman fighting in this war." Abby said firmly. "Besides, it's not like I plan on going toe to toe with these people! I was going to do what I do best."

Sasha sighed. "Does Daryl and Rick know? They can't know, or you wouldn't be here."

Abby smirked slightly. "Actually, Daryl does. I told him yesterday. Rick doesn't know, and I wasn't planning on telling him any time soon, but I guess since the cat is out of the bag, I have to."

Sasha frowned. "Why weren't you going to tell Rick? He's your brother!"

"My very overprotective brother. He'll want to lock me up somewhere safe like he did when I was hurt and wanted to go save Daryl."

"Dad!" Abby heard Carl exclaim softly.

Abby peered around the corner and saw her brother covered in sweat and blood as he followed Daryl down the tunnel looking around worriedly. Abby rounded the corner, so Rick could see her, then walked towards him.

After hugging his son and Michonne, Rick continued to her and hugged her before looking her worriedly in the face. "Where is everyone? Where's Judith?"

"I took them to Sherwood, they're safe." Sasha said from behind Abby. "Abby thought it best to get any non-combatants out of the line of fire."

"And good thing she did." Daryl said as he wrapped an arm around her waist as he stood beside her.

Rick nodded his head in approval. "Good thinking, sis."

"What now?" Sasha asked.

"You can wait them out." Dwight suggested making everyone turn to him.

"Negan's blown the place to shit, so he's not planning on staying here." Dwight continued. "He never was planning on staying here."

Abby crossed her arms. "Then where is he planning on staying? Sanctuary isn't particularly safe is it?"

Dwight shrugged. "Its safe enough for now but Negan plans on hanging his hat in the Kingdom until Sanctuary is repaired."

"As much as I hate to agree with this little shit, he's probably right. Negan's hurtin', both in the numbers department and resources, he can't afford to remain here too long or leave a crew here." Merle said sounding unhappy.

Rick sighed unhappily. "Alright, we'll wait it out."

Everyone took a seat on whatever surface they could find and settled into waiting. Rick listened to Abby as she told him everything that had happened since they parted ways on the highway, looking at Daryl unhappily when she told him about their attack on Sanctuary. He then went into his ordeal, getting taken prisoner by the Scavengers then how he'd negotiated his release and their aid. He had managed to get them to Sanctuary then had been attacked by Saviors

 **Three hours later**

Everyone looked up as the sound of doors slamming and vehicles driving off, echoed through the tunnel. When the sound had faded, they all gathered their things and stood up.

"Where to, big brother?" Abby asked as Daryl put a hand on her back.

"Hilltop. They're going to need our help and if what Dwight says is true, we're too late to help the Kingdom. Once we get to Hilltop, we'll send a message to Sherwood, so they know what's going on."

"What's Sherwood?" Dwight asked.

Daryl cuffed him hard, sending him back a couple of steps. "None of your goddamn business, is what!" He growled.

Abby was proud of Daryl for sparing Dwight, but he still hated the man and she couldn't blame him. Dwight glared at Daryl but didn't make any commentary as Rick ignored the scene and headed for the exit that brought them outside of the walls. Abby squinted as the sun hit her face, seeing sunlight for the first time since the previous day. They had walked just over a mile when Rick stopped and grabbed both Abby and Daryl.

"Michonne and I are going to go talk to Jadis one more time, see if we can get them to help." Rick said to them.

Abby shook her head. "Why bother? They've betrayed us twice now! They are just as likely to fight us as they are to help us!"

"I agree." Daryl said nodding. "They ain't gonna help us! We don't need them!"

"We need the numbers, Daryl!" Michonne said, disagreeing.

"I have to try. Besides, the Savior's saw them with me, they're in danger. They have no choice but to stick with us." Rick said putting a hand on Abby's shoulder. "Can you two lead everyone to Hilltop safely?"

"Sure, but it ain't just us." Abby said as she looked over her shoulder as Sasha, Rosita and Tara checked on the others since they had a moment.

Rick smiled softly as he followed her gaze, then kissed Abby on the cheek. "You be safe. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow."

Abby and Daryl watched as Rick and Michonne disappeared into the undergrowth, heading in the direction of Alexandria, probably to find a vehicle.

"What are they doing?" Carl asked as he came up to them.

"They want to talk to the Scavengers one last time." Abby answered as she turned to him. "C'mon kiddo, let's get to Hilltop so you can get your girlfriend to safety."

Carl blushed as Abby grinned. "She isn't my girlfriend." He muttered.

Daryl snickered which only made Carl's blush deepen. Daryl walked passed the two of them then over to where his brother stood guarding Dwight. "C'mon people, we need to get moving!" Daryl ordered as he indicated for them to get up.

A few of them groaned but they all got up and followed after Daryl as he marched off into the woods ahead of everybody. They marched for hours, only occasionally coming across walker which they dealt with easy enough. They had just come across a dried up riverbed when Daryl suddenly held his hand up and crouched down behind a bush. Abby crouched down, and she quietly walked up beside him then knelt down beside him. Daryl pointed to the bridge above them where a hand holding a gun, poked over the side. She could hear voices above them, but she couldn't make out what was being said.

After a few minutes, she heard the doors slam and the car drive off. Daryl stood up and carefully inched forward, peered over the side of the bridge then indicated for everyone to move once more.

"We better stay off of the road, head into the bush." Daryl instructed as they walked by.

Abby lead them across the riverbed into the shrub on the other side, putting herself in between them and the road. Daryl quickly caught up with her and watched her as they marched, taking a quick pace. Just past midday, Rosita trotted up to them and pulled Daryl to a stop.

"Something wrong?" Daryl asked as Sasha came up beside her.

"They need rest, they haven't slept." Rosita said then looked over at Abby. "She probably needs rest."

Daryl frowned as he looked back at Abby. Abby sighed, "Carl figured it out on his own. Apparently blabbed it out loud enough that the others heard, when he figured it out." Abby looked at Rosita and Sasha who watched her in concern. "And you two don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"When was the last time you ate?" Daryl finally asked.

Abby rolled her eyes. "I get knocked up and all you can think about is shoving food at me."

"I'll go huntin'. You two, cover our tracks and keep an eye on the others." Daryl ordered. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

Sasha and Rosita nodded and walked back to where the group was already sitting on the ground. Carl walked up to Daryl as he made ready to leave.

"I'm coming with you." Carl said firmly.

Daryl looked over at Abby, who nodded. "You two take care of each other, okay?"

"Alright kid, lets go." Daryl said as he moved off.

Abby watched as they walked off then walked back to the group as Merle came over to her. "Where they goin'?" He asked as he looked in the direction Daryl had disappeared in.

"Hunting." Abby said as she sat down. "Its Daryl's way of dealin' with his worry for me, constantly shoving food at me."

Merle chuckled. "Shoulda gone with my brother instead of the kid."

"You didn't volunteer." Abby said smirking as Siddiq came over followed by Dwight.

"How are you feeling?" Siddiq asked as he knelt down in front of her.

"I'm fine." Abby growled, starting to get annoyed with everyone asking how she was.

"You're really pregnant, aren't you?" Dwight asked but then got laid out by Merle.

"You really need to learn to mind yer own business!" Merle growled as he held his knife to Dwight's throat as he pinned him to the ground.

Abby sighed. "Let him up, Merle. Pretty much everyone heard Carl."

"What's the angle, Merle? You've never cared for no one but yourself." Dwight said as he got to his feet.

"She's my family and she's carryin' my blood." Merle said looking like he was going to lay Dwight out again.

"While I haven't known Merle as long as I've known Daryl. One thing I've learned about both brothers is, you don't mess with a Dixon. If you do, they'll turn you into a grease stain on the road."

"That's right little sister." Merle said, smiling but the smile wasn't in the least bit genuine. "You're lucky my brother and Abby want you alive, 'cause you'd be dead right now if I had my way."

Abby rubbed her temples. "Enough, Merle. Make yerself useful, maybe you can find somethin' edible within the immediate area. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's hungry."

Merle scowled at Dwight a moment longer then turned and walked off. Abby looked at Dwight and studied him a moment while Siddiq pressed his fingers to her wrist.

"Why do you care whether or not I'm pregnant? Looking for an angle?"

Dwight shook his head. "No. I just find it curious that a man like Daryl would let his pregnant wife engage in battle. He's obviously protective of you and made no suggestion that you existed."

Abby quirked an eyebrow. "He told you nothing. Period. Daryl ain't the sort to break easily. And even if he did, he'd still never say anything 'bout me. And trust me, he'd rather hide me somewhere safe, but he can only make me do so much. I'm a very strong-willed person and considering I have a decade of war experience and have led my own unit for four years, it'd be stupid for me to go underground."

"He's right, you shouldn't be here." Siddiq said as he looked her in the eye. "You have more than just yourself to think of."

Abby face darkened. "I am thinking outside of myself!" Abby snarled. "I am also thinking of more than my own child. I'm thinking of every man, woman and child in this area. I'm not going to thrust my head in the sand and pretend that nothing is happening while my brother, husband and nephew, put their lives in danger."

"Leave her alone." Tara's voice said from behind Abby. "She knows what she's doing, and you have no right to question her." She then pointed a gun at Dwight. "Get up, you'll be better over there. Abby's hormonal, she might change her mind at the drop of a hat. I hear she's pretty good at kill people without warning."

When Daryl and Carl hadn't returned after twenty minutes, Abby started getting concerned. After thirty minutes, she was pacing with Merle begging her to let him go looking for him and after forty minutes, she was just about to grant Merle his wish when finally, Daryl and Carl emerged from the trees slightly bloodied but followed by a badly limping Dr. Carson and a woman that Abby had never seen before. Abby ran over and threw her arms around Daryl's neck then pulled Carl into a hug once she let Daryl go.

"Sorry babe, I know that was more then twenty minutes." Daryl said as she hugged Carl.

"What happened?" Abby asked as she looked Carl over then got her hands swatted away as Carl got annoyed.

"We saw four Savior's shoving Dr. Carson into the back of a truck. Mister Lone Ranger here, shot one guy then broke from the cover of the trees to attack them." Daryl said scowling at Carl.

"There was just four of them." Carl said looking away.

"Carl!" Sophia scolded as she walked over.

"You didn't know that!" Daryl said, his voice starting to raise. "There coulda been more on the road! Waiting for their buddies!"

"Daryl's right, Carl." Abby said crossing her arms. "You could've endangered the whole group."

"He saved our lives." The woman said.

Abby looked over at her. She had long firey red hair and a black cocktail dress that was torn.

"Frankie?" Dwight's voice came from behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same." Frankie said.

Abby looked back at the woman. "Frankie, huh. I imagine that since you have Dr. Carson with you, that you're with the Saviors."

"Yes and no." Frankie said, looking Abby over but obviously feeling uncomfortable. "I was one of Negan's wives, like Sherry. We all hate him, we only agreed to marry him to protect someone or make up for a debt. I saw an opening, when Negan left, and I took it. I knew I couldn't make it on my own, so I asked Dr. Carson to come with me."

"I would've never dared to leave if it wasn't for her." Dr. Carson said, finally speaking up as he leaned heavily against a tree.

Abby sighed. "What's done, is done. We'll sort everything out at Hilltop. We really need to get moving."

* * *

Onwards and upwards! Only threeish more chapters!

-Shockra


	18. Chapter 18

Daryl was knelt down beside a map as he discussed their next move with Abby, Sasha, Merle and Rosita. Merle became very useful then, helping them dodge Savior's and telling them where Savior's would be, so they wouldn't run into them. When they had quietly gone to confirm their positions, they had found that Merle had been right. Now, after several near misses, they had a chance to breath for a moment and were considering their options, but things weren't looking good.

"What about the swamp?" Dwight suggested, coming up behind Daryl. The whole left side of his face a multicolored bruised from Merle's multiple right hooks.

"No." Merle growled. "That's suicide."

"Tell me about the swamp." Abby ordered Merle.

Merle sighed. "When we found the Hilltop, Negan had us map every route to Hilltop. He deemed the swamp to be too dangerous, for good reason."

"How likely is it that there will be Saviors there?" Daryl asked studying his brother.

"You're not actually considering it?" Tara asked from where she stood, watching Dwight.

"We don't exactly have a lot of options." Sasha said.

Merle scratched his head. "It might be worth it but we're going to have to be careful. There's like all sort of walkers all stuck up in that swamp."

"If eight people can clear a prison full of walkers, then twenty people can cross a damn swamp." Abby growled as she straightened up. "We're doing this."

Everyone gathered their things and started moving forward once more. They spent the night under the stars, most of the people with them having never done that before, probably in their life. While most of the Alexandrian's slept, Daryl, Sasha and Rosita stayed awake to guard them. Abby had wanted to stay up as well but Daryl, Siddiq and Carson all insisted that she sleep. So, she slept…or laid down anyways.

The next morning, Abby watched the three of them, but you couldn't that the three hadn't gotten any sleep in the last forty-eight hours. It took them three hours to reach the swamp. Abby stood at the swamps edge and stared across it as Daryl got people organized.

"Don't even think about going in." Daryl growled as he came up beside her.

Abby glared at him. "I wasn't expecting you to let me go." Abby said. "I told you I wouldn't put myself in unnecessary danger."

Daryl looked at her like she might be trying to deceive him. "Good but I'm leaving Carl to make sure you don't change yer mind."

Abby glowered at him as Daryl turned away and indicated to those who had volunteered to clear a path across the swamp, to follow him. Abby sat down next to Carl and watched as their people waded into the shallow water. Carl watched her as she watched their people, but thankfully, he didn't say a word. After about ten minutes of waiting, growls reached Abby's ear and when she turned to see where it was coming from, she saw a small herd lumbering past them, so far ignoring them as they sat on the ground quietly. Abby moved to get up but Tara, who was still watching Dwight, held up her hand.

"I got this." She said then threw a blade at Dwight's feet. "You've been volunteered."

As Abby watched the two walked off, Frankie came and sat down on the other side of Abby and held out her hand out to Abby to shake. "Abby, right? The others say that you're the one in charge."

"Sort of. It's kind of a shared responsibility between me and Daryl. My brother is the one who is truly in charge." Abby said as she turned back to watch the swamp once more.

"It's rare to see a woman with so much power, its nice to see." Frankie said.

"If you wanna be strong, then make yourself strong." Abby said, "I fought tooth and nail to get where I am in life and you can do the same if you truly want it." Abby pointed out to where Sasha and Rosita waded through the swamp water. "I'm not the only strong woman here."

"I'm not cut throat enough to be like them." Frankie said looking dejected. "Negan has woman among his soldiers, even one of his lieutenants is a woman but I'm nothing like them. I don't really want to be."

Abby shook her head. "You don't need to be cut throat, you just need to be brave." Abby pointed at Sasha. "She's one of the nicest people I know. She's always thinking of others, very rarely of herself. But she's as brave as all hell, willing to do what it takes to protect the people she loves and the innocent while never compromising her integrity. She's amazing. We got other woman like her too."

"You and your people are not what I expected. I thought that you might be just another version of the Saviors, but you're not are you."

"I sure as hell hope not." Abby said with a sigh.

"We aren't." Carl said firmly.

"Abby!" Tara called as she trotted over to her. "We got a problem."

Abby frowned as she got to her feet. "What kind of problem?"

"Dwight, he got away." Tara said wincing.

"What did you just say?" Daryl asked angrily as he sloshed onto the shore.

"I made him come with me to deal with some walkers. I…I was going to kill him, then he ran." Tara explained. "I caught up with him but then these Saviors appeared. We hid in the bushes, but they were heading straight for us. So Dwight stepped into the clearing."

Daryl exploded. "What the hell were you thinkin'?!" Daryl shouted as he paced in front of her. "Someone hit you in the head to make you stupid? I told you we were going to wait until we reach Hilltop and even _Merle_ was following that order! What makes you so special? What makes you judge, jury and executioner?"

Abby put a hand on her chest and he looked down at her angrily. "Yelling won't help nothing."

"Now he's going to tell the Savior's everything he knows! Everything he's seen!" Daryl yelled.

"I don't think he will." Tara disagreed. "He could've led them right to us, but he led them away."

Abby sighed. "Enough you two." Abby growled then looked at Daryl. "Did you clear a path?"

Daryl took a deep breath to settle himself. "Yeah, the way should be clear."

"Alright then." Abby said then turned to the rest of the group and indicated for them to get up. "Let's get goin', we should be in Hilltop in a couple more hours and I'd rather not wait around here for the Saviors to find us."

111

"There it is doc; do you think you can make it?" Abby asked Carson as he held on to Siddiq.

"Yeah." Carson sighed. "I've never been so happy to see any place before."

"I wish I could tell you it'll be rainbows and sunshine from here on out." Abby said as they continued forward. "But it's not. They will be plenty more gore and more death."

"I know." Carson said as he winced. "But at least we're fighting for it to end. You're trying to bring peace and the right to live. I can deal with that."

Tobin and another Alexandrian came up on either side of Carson then each grabbed a leg then grabbed each elbow and lifted Carson from the ground. As they approached, Abby heard the alarm raise and when they got within range, the gate automatically swung open. Glenn and Maggie stood there smiling as they walked in, Judith on Maggie's hip, as Carol and Beth came running up. Beth ran past her sister and immediately threw her arms around Abby's neck as Carol walked over to Daryl and hugged him.

After she stepped back, Daryl studied Carol carefully. "What're you doing here? Is everything okay?"

Abby looked at Carol, she looked close to tears. "I came with Ezekiel and the Kingdom but Sophia." She croaked.

Carl appeared at Abby's elbow. "Is she okay? Where is she?" He asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Carol said, barely staying in control. "Her and Enid took a car a couple days ago and haven't come back."

"Sophia showed up a couple of days ago. She said she wanted to talk with Enid. Then they just left and by the time someone told me, they were already gone." Maggie explained.

"Why was she even here?" Carol asked, caught somewhere between distressed and angry. "You were supposed to be looking after her!"

Abby sighed. "She left note, she wanted to do her part." Abby put a hand on Carol's shoulder. "They're both tough girls, I'm sure they're fine."

"I'll go look for 'em." Daryl said as he slid his crossbow off of his shoulder and started to turn around, but Carol grabbed his sleeve.

"I'll go with you!" Carl volunteered as he checked his pistol.

"No. Don't." She said firmly. "We need you both here. This isn't like the farm, Daryl, you can't just run off into the woods to find a lost little girl."

Abby sighed as she winced. "Carol's right. The Savior's are likely to attack any day now and we need every hand we got."

Daryl's jaw flexed as he clenched his jaw, as he looked first at Abby then Carol while Carl took Judith from Maggie and marched to the house, annoyed.

"It's okay, Daryl. Abby's right. My little girl isn't so little anymore and Enid survived for months completely on her own. I'm sure they're fine, I'm just a worried mom." Carol said trying to soothe Daryl, obviously grateful that Daryl was so willing to go out of his way to help Sophia.

"It gladdens the King to see his allies mostly in one piece." Ezekiel said as he approached. "But where might our fearless general be?"

Abby smiled slightly. As much as Daryl was put off by Ezekiel, Abby kind of liked him. "Attempting to gather more allies."

"The Scavenger's?" Beth asked as her face twisted in disgust.

"Yeah." Abby sighed.

"Is Michonne alright? I didn't see her come in." Glenn asked worriedly.

"She's with Rick." Daryl said starting to sound testy.

"I can't believe you got Dr. Carson back!" Maggie exclaimed as she watched Carson, and his helpers disappear into the trailer.

"Daryl and Carl accidentally ran into him." Abby said as Daryl moved off towards his brother. "Apparently one of Negan's wives helped him escape." Abby continued as she pointed Frankie out as the woman looked around her, uncertain.

Maggie put a hand on Abby's back. "We don't have a lot of food, but we've got water and a place to rest. You look exhausted."

Abby sighed. "I guess a little nap won't hurt." She said wincing.

She felt bad for wanting to sleep, they had all sorts of stuff that needed doing but she was exhausted. Besides, if she didn't lay down soon, Daryl would make her. Beth and Maggie guided her inside, then up the stairs to a room. As they passed by a door, Abby saw the baby they had taken from the Savior's Outpost.

"You know, we sent all our non-combatants to Sherwood, maybe you should do the same."

Beth and Maggie both looked where she was staring.

"Might not be a bad idea." Maggie said nodding, "It'll relieve some of the strain on our food supply. They have their own garden there, don't they?"

"They sure do, and I'm sure they have some of the original supplies left." Abby said as they continued down the hall.

"Do you think they'd have enough to help us out?" Maggie asked hopefully. "We were dangerously low on supplies _before_ the Kingdom and Alexandria showed up but now we've practically got nothing."

Abby winced as she stepped into the room she'd be sleeping in. "They might be able to give something, but I doubt it'd be enough to feed everyone."

"Right." Maggie said with a tiredness that matched Abby's. "I'll work out who can go and who we trust to not rat the place out, then maybe we send them along with an escort that can maybe bring back a few supplies."

Abby nodded her head. "Sounds like a plan." She said then stopped Maggie as she turned to leave. "One more thing. I'm sure it's likely to be circulating around camp already…"

Abby paused as Carol ran down the hall then threw her arms around Abby's neck. "Daryl just told me! I can't believe you're pregnant again!"

"You're pregnant!" Both sisters said in unison then joined Carol in hugging Abby.

Abby laughed as they hugged her, then rubbed Maggie's arm as she stepped back and wiped tears from her eyes.

"Damn hormones!" Maggie said as she sniffled.

Abby smiled as she watched Maggie. "I can relate. I was such a cry baby last time and I have a feeling this time won't be no different."

Carol chuckled as she too wiped her eyes. "What's my excuse?" She said then cleared her.

"How far?" Beth asked excitedly, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Not far, not even a month."

"Was it planned like the last one?" Beth asked happily.

"The last one was planned!" Maggie exclaimed.

Abby shrugged. "Sure. It's not like we were expecting to get attack, we thought we were safe. Then people started nagging us and it hadn't really crossed Daryl's mind before. I've wanted kids since the first time I got married, so I talked Daryl into trying. We didn't know until only days before we all found each everyone. As for this time, not so planned." Abby rubbed her head. "I mean there's a war going on and I need to be out there! We talked about trying again but not until after this war was over."

"Everything will turn out." Carol said firmly. "For _both_ of you!" Carol then grabbed Abby's shoulders and turned her around, forcing her to walk into the room. "Now sleep, you've had a very trying couple of days."

111

Over the next couple of days, people worked together to fortify Hilltop even more while others helped care for the injured. The Kingdom had an impressive number of doctors compared to both Hilltop and Alexandria, who had managed to survive the Savior's attack on the Kingdom. While both communities only had one doctor, the Kingdom had four and every doctor would be needed.

Daryl, Merle, Beth and Carl spent a considerable time hunting and scavenging the woods for food, doing their best to compensate the explosion of population in Hilltop. They were reasonably successful too, with Daryl and Merle each getting a deer and Beth and Carl getting a dozen rabbit, squirrels and various types of fowl, keeping everyone at least fed.

Abby was sitting in the study with Maggie, talking over some last minute details, when Rick entered into the room. He smiled as he walked over to Abby and gave her a kiss on the forehead. When him and Michonne had shown up with only Jadis in tow, Abby had pulled him aside to somewhere discreet and told him her news. He was happy for her, even gave her a tight hug but like Daryl, he was terrified what might happen to her. He wasn't terribly happy with Daryl agreeing to support her staying in the fight, but he knew how protective Daryl was of Abby and if Daryl could let her continue fighting, then so should he.

"Mornin' baby girl." He said to Abby then looked over at Maggie. "Maggie."

Maggie smiled and nodded her head. "Mornin' Rick."

"You mind if I steal my sister?" Rick asked as he put a hand on Abby's shoulder.

"Aren't you going out to keep watch by the road?" Abby asked as she tipped her head back to look up at him.

Rick nodded his head. "I am. Thought you might want to come along, get outside of the walls."

Both women looked at him shocked. "You _want_ me to go with you?" Abby asked shocked.

"Sure. We haven't had a lot of time together to just talk lately." Rick said as he held out his hand too her. "And I can keep a better eye on you when you're stuck in a car with me."

Maggie laughed as Abby grabbed her brothers' hand and stood up. "Now you're making me reconsider your offer."

"Go." Maggie said firmly. "Even if you have to put up with your naggy brother."

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Naggy?"

Both women laughed as Abby dragged Rick out of the room by the hand. Once out of the door, Rick took the lead and guided her outside of the house to where his vehicle stood waiting by the gate. Abby climbed into the passenger side and looked into the back seat to make sure he'd grabbed her guns.

"Don't worry both your sniper rifle and assault rifle are back there." Rick said smiling. "Buckle up."

Abby quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Rick sighed. "Just humor me, Abigail."

"Does Daryl know you're taking me out?" Abby asked as she pulled on her seatbelt.

"No. Is that a problem?" Rick asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Tch. No." Abby said then indicated for him to go. "Proceed."

Rick chuckled as he started the vehicle, then drove through the gate. They drove in silence for almost twenty minutes, making Abby's eyes heavy as the drove. After Abby's head had started to bob, Rick reached over and patted here hand.

"Put your head back, Abigail. I doubt you've gotten much sleep over the last couple of days." Rick said softly.

Abby sighed, that was a very tempt proposition. "I thought you wanted to talk."

"Well we'll be on watch until night fall. I know you can sleep days away while you're pregnant, but I'll wake you up." Rick said smirking at his last words.

Abby smacked him, making Rick laugh. Abby decided to take up his offer for a nap and reclined her seat and turned on her side then closed her eyes. She was quickly out like a light only briefly coming too as they bumped over rough terrain, then felt Rick touch the side of her face as he said something before sinking back into a deep sleep. She awoke again when she heard the door slam and the engine reeve. She sat up and looked around confused as Rick tore across a field towards a town that Abby had never seen before.

"What's happening?" She mumbled as wiped the sleep from her eyes and tried to come to full wakefulness.

"The Savior's are coming." Rick said simply.

"Why haven't you raised the alarm?" Abby asked, her mind immediately awake.

"I saw Negan, in a car, by himself. I'm going to end him." Rick said, his face dark. "He nearly killed my sister and my son in one stroke and has killed my friends. He has to die."

"What's your plan?" Abby asked.

"I don't have one. Just hang on." Rick said as he started to swerve around corners as he negotiated his way through the streets.

Abby grabbed on to the handle above her door as Rick continued to turn down streets until finally he came to an alley and floored it as vehicles began to drive by. He didn't stop when they came to the end of the alley and smacked right into a the backside of a Dodge Charger, which managed to swerve to the side and receive minimal damage. The car turned down a street and sped away from them and away from its caravan, in attempts to lose them.

"Make sure the belt is good and tight Abigail." Rick said as he chased after the car.

At the last second, the other car tried to make a hairpin turn but was hit by Rick in the tail end making it flip over and skid across the grass, on its side into a parking lot as Rick slammed on the brakes and crashed into a light pole. Rick immediately looked over at his sister worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Abby said as she got out of the car grabbed her assault rifle and sniper rifle from the back seat.

"You stay back." Rick growled as he grabbed his own gun, then primed it.

Abby glared at him but obeyed as he immediately open fire on the car as he approached. Abby heard sounds coming from within, then saw a head poke over the side and open fired as well. Rick rounded the side of the car then saw Negan run into the building as Rick continued to fire at him.

"Stay there!" Rick shouted back at her before disappearing inside.

Abby growled, she didn't like this, being left behind but while he meant to protect her, leaving her out here was probably just as dangerous as bringing her inside. Abby slung her assault rifle across her back like she had with her sniper rifle and pulled out her pistol. She didn't want to attract more attention then Rick already had. So far, the crowd they had attracted wasn't large, something she could deal with. She retreated towards the building as she popped off walker after walker, thinning out the crowd.

After the way was clear, Abby went around the corner to where four other cars were parked. With their vehicle being wrecking, so Abby decided to check them to see if any of them were capable of running. After the third car, Abby finally found a car that would start but the gauge read that it only had a quarter tank of gas. She was just about to run back to the SUV that her and Rick had been driving, when she heard the sound of glass cracking then shatter a few moments later. Abby raised her gun as she slowly edged towards the building, then saw a head poke over the side of a concrete wall then watched as Negan climb the wall.

"Hey!" Abby shouted as she stepped out so he could see her.

Negan looked up in shock, obviously not expecting company then smiled as he raised his hands. "Well hello gorgeous! I'd like to stay and chat, but your crazy brother is trying to kill me. So, if you don't mind."

Abby laughed. "You should be much more scared of me then my brother."

She pulled the trigger just as he tried to bolt then watched in satisfaction as his body crumpled to the ground. Abby had just approached Negan as Rick scurried over the same wall but stopped when he saw his sister put a second bullet into Negan's head. Rick looked back to where he'd come from then walked to stand next to her.

"You got him." He said softly.

"I did." Abby said as glared down at his dead body. They stood there in silence for a moment, just staring at Negan's corpse then Abby looked over at Rick. "This ain't over yet. We still gotta get Simon. From what Merle says, he was the original leader of the Saviors, the one who killed the men of Oceanside."

Rick nodded his head. "Yeah." He paused then looked at his sister. "Maybe you shouldn't have shot him in the head. We could've terrorized the Saviors with his corpse."

"Well it's too late for that but we can still bring him with us, as proof." Abby suggested.

"Yyyeeaahh." Rick said with a tired sigh. He handed her Negan's bat, Lucille, then bent over and grabbed Negan's arm and hoisted his corpse onto his back.

Abby pointed to the car she'd got running. "Put 'em in there. It's only got a quarter tank, I'm gonna get the gas from our vehicle."

Rick nodded as he hurriedly walked to the car as Abby trotted off towards their old vehicle. She gathered the few things they had in the vehicle and the two Jerry cans then trotted over to where Rick leaned against the trunk of the car.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked indicating the blood coming from a cut on Rick's head as he grabbed the cans from her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rick answered as he opened the door to the gas tank and poured one of the cans in. "C'mon we need to move quickly. Signal the others that the Saviors are coming. Then you'll be going back to the house and staying in the building where it is safe." Abby rolled her eyes. "Hey, isn't killing Negan enough for you for today?"

"Not if there's still a battle to fight." Abby grumbled as she sat down in the passenger seat once more.

"It's not like you won't be doing anything." Rick said as he put the car in gear and tore off for Hilltop. "You'll be putting that big rifle of yours to good use."

Abby just rolled her eyes again as she sat back, her guns in between her legs. Rick sped quickly through the town then up the dirt road, laying hard on the horn once they got within range. He continued down the road, flying past other check points until he came to where Daryl looked on in surprise as Rick rolled to a stop.

"Daryl, do you mind getting her back to Hilltop?" Rick asked as they both got out of the car.

Abby frowned as she looked back at Rick. "What do you plan on doing with Negan?" She asked.

"Negan?" Daryl asked as he looked at both siblings in shock.

Rick smiled as he walked to back of the car and opened the trunk. "I flushed him out, Abigail finished him off." Daryl stared at Negan's dead body as he wrapped an arm around Abby's waist, his face unreadable. "He's gonna be the Saviors welcome sign." Rick continued. "Just after the spikes."

Abby sighed. She wasn't in the mood for arguing and she didn't see any harm in it. Hopefully, seeing Negan dead will dishearten the Savior's fighters. Daryl finally grabbed her hand and led her to where his bike sat, then climbed on behind him. When Abby was behind him, he fired up the engine and headed of the Hilltop. When they were within the walls, Daryl looked back at Abby.

"We need to talk, but that'll have to wait 'til the mornin'." Daryl said as she climbed off.

"Are you mad at me?" Abby asked as she studied him, but he shook his head.

"No. We'll talk about it later." He stood up and pulled her towards him and kissed her. "Be safe and stay out of trouble."

"You too." She said softly then watched as he drove off back to his post.

Once the gates had closed, Abby walked the camp, making sure things were going as planned. Out of the sixty fighters that they had within the walls, thirty-two of them wore Kevlar vest and the remaining twenty-eight were the Kingdom fighters who wore their own armor. Having removed so many of the vests from Sherwood left Abby a little uncomfortable but at least the base still had most of its guns and other supplies.

"Hey." A voice came from behind her and when Abby turned around, she saw Benjamin smiling as he stopped in front of her with Beth at his side, the voice she heard, belonging to Benjamin. "I wanted to thank you. Everyone said that you saved my life."

"Like I told the King; you, Beth and all the other children are the future. I'll do everything I can to protect or save that." Abby said as Beth handed her a turnip. Abby made a grossed out face, even before she was pregnant, she hated turnips but that was nearly all they had to eat besides the meat that had been brought in.

"We should have listened to you when you warned us that things would get worse, that they would harm me to hurt Ezekiel. You were right, about all of it." Benjamin said.

"Abby usually is." Beth said, looking very sagely as she nodded her head.

"Don't say that! Then people might just trust what I say, and I'll be at fault when things go wrong." Abby said tiredly.

Both Beth and Benjamin laughed as Beth wrapped her arms around Abby's waist and hugged her. "I thought you liked bossing people around."

"Not really, just my brother." Abby said as she chuckled sheepishly.

Beth stepped back and smiled at Abby. "Not Daryl?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "You tell that man to do one thing, he does the other. So I hear you're up in the attic with me."

"Yeah. I'm not as good of a shot as Maggie or Sasha but I've gotten pretty good and I don't need your precision to make it too the gate." Beth said smiling.

"Where will you be Benjamin?" Abby asked as she looked over Beth's shoulder.

"Right next to Ezekiel." He replied, rolling his eyes. "He wants to keep an eye on me, make sure I don't get shot again."

"Are you okay sharing space with the guy who shot you?" Abby asked, pointing towards the pen that held the prisoners.

"We're supposed to be better than the Saviors, aren't we? So I guess I'll just have to forgive him." Benjamin said as he glared towards the pen.

"You do that, but I don't have to worry about being better than them." Abby said angrily, thinking of how she could kill that man and make it look like an accident.

"Abby!" Beth scolded. "Stop talking like that!"

Abby looked at Beth confused. "Like what?"

"Like your soul is beyond saving! Like you heart is blacker than tar." Beth said angrily, making Abby look away. "I've heard the others make comments, Glenn especially. We all agree, there is nothing black about your heart _or_ soul!"

Abby chuckled darkly. "You think you know me, you think you know what I've done but you don't. You didn't see me when I got back from the war, how messed up I was. I've killed kids! Younger than Carl, innocent people have died because of me! I even tried to kill one of my own men! That's why I got discharged from the military! The stuff I've done was seriously messed up. The stuff I've done recently, pales in comparison."

"Stop it, Gunny." Abraham yelled angrily as he grabbed her arm. "That shit don't matter! Shit happens in war! Trust me I know, they don't know but _I_ know! You did what you were ordered to! You did what you had to, to protect others!"

Abby tried to reef her arm out of Abraham's grasp. "And that makes it okay? I should be put down with those bastards, I'm just the same as them!"

Abraham gave her a bit of shake. "Yer nothing like them! Yeah, you've killed a _lot_ of people, but you don't fight for yourself, you fight to protect others to protect the innocent, you do what is necessary. And yeah, sometimes innocent people get caught in the cross fire but from my experience it is rarely your fault. Blondie is right, you gotta stop beating yourself up for things you can't change, you gotta forgive yourself. I know the hormones are messing with your head more than normal, bringing stuff back that you probably haven't thought 'bout for some time but you need to face it."

Abby deflated, she was just so tired. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Beth said softly.

Abby shook her head. "No, Abraham is right, it's the hormones."

"C'mon, Gunny. You should lie down." Abraham said loosening his grip and putting his hand on her back.

Abby shook her head again, both as a response to Abraham and to clear the emotions from coming up further. "I don't have to time to sleep. The Saviors are on their way, all three of you should get into your position."

Beth grabbed Abby's arm as Abraham let go. "Let's get into the attic."

111

Abby looked down her night vison scope as the Savior's caravan approached their gate. It was now completely dark, and everyone was in position, waiting for their cues. Beneath Abby, she could see the glow of the light on the small raised balcony that was above the front door, where Maggie stood with a couple body guards and the prisoners. When the lead cars were stopped by the spike strips they'd buried in the dirt, the Savior's all piled out of the cars.

Abby cursed, she had a brief moment when she could see Simon but then couldn't see him as he stopped to look at Negan's body which Rick had hung on a cross in their path. Abby could hear Maggie's voice below as she conversed with Simon over the radio, but the words were muffled by the floor boards and balcony roof. Abby wasn't supposed to open fire until the Saviors started their attack, unless she had a clear shot on Simon, which she still did not have.

She watched as the conversation continued, then gritted her teeth as the Savior's opened fire on the balcony where Maggie stood. Still she waited, then Daryl and Merle both came burning down the road on the back of both of their motorcycles, one passing on each side of the group and opened fire as they passed by, leaving no where's to retreat too, then headed straight for the gate. Those who survived being razed, jumped back into their vehicles and pursued them as the drove threw the gate. Just as the Savior's first vehicle made it within the wall, a yellow school bus surged forward and blocked the entrance and caused a minor pile up of Savior vehicles.

All hell broke loose then, their joint forces popping up from behind their cover and opening fire on the Savior's as they made their way around their vehicles. Abby and Beth could only fire at the Saviors who were by the gate, not being terribly easy to tell the difference between friend or foe once they got within the walls. Abby looked over at Beth.

"Go, look after your sister. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Abby ordered.

Beth looked at her worriedly for a moment, then nodded as she got up and ran for the ladder that led to the floor below.

Abby watched as their people slowly retreated then saw the light on the balcony go out, a signal. Abby took aim at the Savior's vehicles, completely disabling more than a few as she shot out the headlights. When all the lights had been shot out, her people retreated behind their cover and got into position to await their next signal. Abby watched as Simon slowly led what remained of his people, slowly forward. He handed out assignments quietly, then continued forward with the small group who was still with him and started whistling that whistle that was now associated with the Savior's. When he got within a certain range, everyone turned on the lights of the Hilltop vehicles at the same time while Daryl, Abraham and Rosita lobbed a pair of grenades each, in the general direction of the Savior's.

Abby knew it was coming and turned away, but still, the flash from the explosion temporarily buggered her scope as she forgot to turn off her night vision and by the time she could see again, the Savior's had retreated beyond the walls. Abby sighed in irritation, she couldn't afford that kind of error. If she had turned off her night vision, she would have been able to kill Simon too and possibly force the Savior's to surrender. Instead, he lived to fight another day and it was Abby's fault.

Abby stretched her back as she straightened up, she had been hunched over her rifle for over an hour, watching the horizon and now her back hated her. She walked to the ladder, strung her rifle across her back, then descended. A few non-combatants had remained behind, wanting to do their part in the battle by helping with preparations and then assisting the injured afterwards or being where ever they were need. As she came down the ladder, they emerged from a room they had barricaded themselves in and Eric appeared at her side and helped her down the last couple wrung.

"While I appreciate your concern, I don't need help." Abby said as she looked back at him as she headed for the stairs.

"You're pregnant, the last thing we need is you falling." Eric said, smiling slightly.

"Don't take it personally." Sasha said, smiling from the bottom or the stairs. "She's never been able to accept help."

Abby playfully swatted Sasha's arm as she reached the bottom step and headed outside. Abby looked around at the people that either moved around the area or just sat there. Most of them looked shell shocked, like they couldn't believe what had just happened, some probably killing a human being for the first time. The others went about checking on the others, making sure they got their injures attended too.

"You're supposed to be the harbinger of death!" Jadis shouted as she came marching towards Abby. "You were supposed to kill Simon! I heard it! But he's still alive! He got away! You had the perfect chance! Now they'll continue fighting! Continue breathing! Continue destroying!"

Abby's face darkened as Sasha grabbed her arm then put herself in between the two women. "Even if Abby had managed to kill Simon, there's no guarantee this would be over." Sasha said firmly as Daryl marched over angrily.

"If you wanted him dead so badly, why didn't you shoot him?" Daryl snarled angrily, getting in Jadis' face. "Hell, they can't be far. You gotta gun in yer hands, go find him and kill him yourself!"

She looked startled at Daryl as both Ezekiel and Maggie rushed forward. "Cease this bickering!" Ezekiel commanded. "We won a great victory today, do not sully it with petty arguments."

"King Ezekiel is right, this will only weaken us." Maggie said grabbing Daryl's shoulder and giving him a meaningful look. When Daryl finally turned and walked to Abby's side as Maggie looked back at Jadis. "There is no blame to put on to _any_ one and Abby did her part, like she always does."

Abby finally unfroze from where she had been stuck too since Jadis had first started shouting at her and stepped forward as she put a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "It's fine." Abby said. "I'm sorry for what Simon did to your people. Believe it or not, I have an idea of what it's like to lose a whole community before, to lose close friends but killing Simon, it won't make you feel better."

"Abby's right. I watched a man murder my father right in front of me and I saw that man die. It didn't lessen my pain, and I still see daddy die in my dreams, every night. I try to remember the other things about him because that's not what my father would want me to remember, how he died. Rather, he'd want me to remember how he lived. If you want to get justice for your people, you can stay here and fight with us to get freedom for everyone or you can chase your vendetta like Daryl suggested and not feel any better, but I suggest you honor your people by helping others."

Jadis tilted her chin up then turned on her heels and stormed off. "Everyone, scatter." Ezekiel ordered. "See to your tasks, secure this place and then we can rest." Once everyone had gone their separate ways, Ezekiel turned to Abby. "How do ye fair?" He asked her softly as Daryl came up to her again.

"I'm fine." Abby said nodding her head. "I'm just tired, but like you said there are things need doing."

"You go lie down, babe." Daryl said as he rubbed her arm. "There's enough people still on two legs who can do the work."

"Indeed." Ezekiel agreed.

Abby shook her head. "Like hell I'll be on my ass while everyone else is working. When they stop, I'll stop."

* * *

Hey everyone! So what'd you think? Did you expect that? Ha! But things ain't over, the war is still on!

-Shockra


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! So we only have two more chapters after this! Hopefully you'll all enjoy what's left of my story!

* * *

Abby suddenly lurched up from where she sat in a chair beside one of their injured people. She had been charged with watching the patients who had already been tended to, getting them water or what ever they needed, while the doctors continued to work on patients that had yet been seen too. It was midmorning and other than her mini power nap, Abby had yet to sleep.

"You should go to sleep, Abby." Carol said firmly as she knelt down in front of her.

Abby rubbed her eyes. "No, I'm good." Abby said as she straightened her spine.

"Listen to your friend." Dr. Carson said as he limped over to her. "I hear you're pregnant and sleep is something you're going to need."

"You've done enough!" Carol said, staring her in the eye.

Abby sighed as she rubbed her head, she was exhausted. "Fine but let me know if things happen."

Carol stood up and stepped to the side as Abby stood up then headed for the door.

"Wait." Carson said as he hobbled after Abby. "After you've slept and after all the injured have been attended to, I should really check you over…considering your history."

Carol looked at him shocked, then looked back at Abby. "I feel fine…but it might not be a bad idea. I'll come by when I can." Abby said to him then walked outside.

As she walked towards the house Daryl came trotting over to her, his crossbow across his back, looking like he was ready for an argument. When he opened his mouth to say something, but Abby held up her hand.

"I'm on my way to lie down." Abby said then smirked "Maybe I should've made you work a little first, make you think I was gonna go chop some wood or somethin'."

Daryl smiled as he nudged her with his shoulder. "Are ya hungry? Stupid question. Of course, yer hungry."

He trotted off again before Abby could stop him. Unlike last time, where she felt like she could eat and eat and barely have any nausea, this time she could barely keep any of her food down. Abby stopped as she looked back at the trailers, then with a sigh she turned back and went inside. Carol scowled as she saw Abby step inside and got up as Abby walked down the center aisle that ran between the cots.

"I need to talk to the doc." Abby said as she held up her hand as Carol began to talk.

"Is everything okay?" She asked suddenly very concerned.

"Just battling nausea. If Daryl keeps shoving food at me, I might up Chuck on him." Abby said dryly then moved past Carol as she smiled at Abby.

She finally reached Carson and tapped him on the shoulder. He smiled at her as he glanced back at her.

"Back so soon? I thought I just got rid of you!" He said jokingly.

"Do you have something for nausea? I can't seem to keep food down and I feel like shit most of the time."

Carson winced as he looked back at her. "That a pregnant woman can take? No. I'd give you food recommendations, but I doubt we have any of that either! I'll see what I can do, for now you're gonna have to try and work through it."

Abby looked at him, unimpressed. "Yay me."

Abby turned and left once more, heading for her original destination when she had left the first time. This time she managed to make it to the room she'd be staying in with most of their friends and laid down in the one and only bed. She had just curled up on her side, under the covers when Daryl entered carrying a small plate of meat and turnips.

"It's not much but it's something." Daryl said as he sat down beside her. "It's deer."

Abby winced as her stomach roiled. "Save it for someone who can keep it down." Abby said as she covered her nose.

Daryl frowned as he looked at the plate. "I thought you loved deer?"

"Normally I do. Just probably not for the next nine months." She said as she pulled the blanket over her head.

"Oh. I didn't think about that." Daryl said then paused. "Can you at least handle the turnip?" When Abby shook her head, she heard Daryl set the plate down, then pull the blanket away from her head. "You gotta eat something! Whatever you need, I'll go get, no matter how far."

Abby chuckled. "I don't know what I can handle. I think toast would be okay or crackers…pickle juice."

"You were going crazy for pickles and peanut butter last time. What about that?" Daryl suggested.

Abby shrugged. "The morning sickness is way worse this time but maybe. Talk to Carson, I'm sure he can give you suggestions."

Daryl nodded his head as he stood up then bent down and kissed her. "For now, get some sleep. I'll try to find you something."

Daryl smirked as he tucked her in, then took the plate as he left.

111

Abby groaned as the bed beside her, shifted. When she cracked an eye open, she saw Rick sitting there smiling.

"Rise and shine baby girl, we're about to have a meeting and I need my strategist there."

Abby scoffed. "I've hardly been any help; you and Maggie have done most of the strategizing."

"C'mon, Abigail. I know yer tired but it's time to get up." Rick said smiling as he messed up her hair.

"Daryl know you're here, pestering me? Cause if he doesn't, he's gonna kill you." Abby growled as she swatted his hand away.

"He's out, looking for more stuff for you." Rick said ruffling her hair again before quickly standing up and out of range of either her foot or fist. "I'd go with him but it's bad enough that one of us is doing something that isn't entirely necessary at the moment."

Abby finally sat up. "He's worried because I can't eat anything without throwing up. Probably part of the reason I'm so tired, my body doesn't have any fuel to burn."

Rick winced. "In that way Lori was fortunate. She didn't have much morning sickness either time, just at the very beginning. I haven't heard 'bout Maggie having problems either."

Abby sighed. "Yay me, now give me hand."

Abby held out her hand but when Rick stepped close enough, she flicked him in the nose. Abby laughed as she quickly dashed passed him and ran out of the room. Rick pursued her out of the room, smiling, but when it became clear he wasn't going to be able to catch her, he grabbed a pillow off of the ground and hurled it at her. Abby knew it was coming and quickly maneuvered to the side, laughing when the pillow hit Ezekiel square in the face. Benjamin and Beth were right behind Ezekiel and burst out laughing as Abby ducked behind Beth.

Rick cleared his throat, looking awkward and obviously feeling foolish. "Sorry, that was meant for my sister."

Rick walked down the hall, past the four of them, swatting at Abby as Abby moved Beth in front of her, using her as a human shield. Once Rick moved by, Beth grinned at Abby as she looked ruefully at Ezekiel.

"Sorry 'bout that. I know, not the most inspiring behavior." Abby said sheepishly. "We are taking everything seriously."

Ezekiel smiled at her softly. "It's alright. We need to laugh now more than ever. Have you two always been like that?"

"For as long as I've known them. They also scream at each other like a pair of banshees." Beth said smirking.

Abby gave a nonchalant shrug. "We're very good at expressing ourselves."

"I suggest not screaming at each other, it would be most disheartening to the others." Ezekiel suggested, smirking slightly.

"We wouldn't…any more. Things are different now."

Ezekiel nodded his head then continued down the hall, followed by Benjamin and Beth. Beth stopped after a few steps and looked back at Abby, grinning ear to ear.

"Nice hair."

Abby looked in hallway mirror, only a few feet away. "That asshole!" Abby exclaimed as she looked at her reflection, she looked like she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket.

Beth laughed again as Abby began to fix her hair. Grumbling, Abby ran her fingers through her hair to comb out the knots then braided it quickly. She finally walked down the steps and went into the room where she assumed they would be gathering, and found Maggie sitting in the chair behind the desk with Glenn leaning against the chair as Rick and Abraham leaned on their hands on the other side of the desk, already in the middle of a discussion. Abby took as seat on the antique loveseat and put her feet up with her back against the arm, while the others continued talking, discussing resources. After another ten minutes, Ezekiel entered the room with Benjamin still in tow, walking over to the desk to join the others.

"Abby, would you mind joining us?" Glenn asked quirking an eyebrow as he smirked slightly. When she stood up and walked up beside Abraham, Glenn continued. "What do you think the chances are of us being able to attack Sanctuary?"

Abby thought about it for a moment as she chewed on her lip, while the others watched her. "Depends on how much of a risk yer willing to take. If we attack Sanctuary, we'll need everyone which means we'll be leaving this place vulnerable. Our injured, vulnerable."

"We could send them to Sherwood, as you have done with our non-combatants." Ezekiel suggested.

"We could also ask those who have been staying there, to join the fight." Rick suggested.

Abby was silent a moment again while she thought, then looked at Ezekiel. "We could do as you suggest but I'd send only our most serious injuries. Their resources are likely to be getting strained now also, considering they went from a dozen people to forty. We'd also have to send at least one doctor and I'd prefer they go in the dead of night to lessen the likelihood of the Saviors being able to follow them." Abby turned her head and addressed her brother. "As much as we need people, I'd rather have a few experienced people who know what they're doing than a lot of people who don't."

"I agree one hundred percent with the Gunney in that. Most of those people that we sent there, are just as likely to shoot us as they are to shoot the Saviors. And that's _if_ they don't piss 'em selves and run away." Abraham agreed.

"We've had a couple of our prisoners express the desire to join us." Glenn said as he rubbed the back of his head. "There's at least a couple who I would trust but maybe you should take with them, Abby. You're the best at reading people."

"I suppose I could do that but I'd wanna do it one at a time, interview them. I don't want the others influencing them." Abby said nodding.

"Like hell you'll be talkin' to them by yourself." Abraham growled. "I'll help you, make sure they stay in line."

"I'm not the biggest fan of the idea." Rick said grimacing. "I don't trust those ass holes, but we need the help and if they can get you too trust them, then I guess I can too."

Abby nodded. "If they can be trusted, then that will help. Still, it'll take at least another three days to get everyone ready. They need to recuperate, they need a plan, maybe a little extra training. We need more supplies, food mostly. We can't fight effectively if we're all tired and hungry."

"What about the injured?" Ezekiel asked. "Who do we send?"

"We should get the doctors to assess the patients, give us a list of ten people who could benefit most from Sherwood's facilities and then we'll move them tomorrow night or later if the doctors think that'd be best." Abby replied.

"What about the actual attack?" Maggie asked as she leaned forward on her elbows.

"First, is Merle still here?" Abby asked, making everyone look at her like she was crazy. "Merle lived in Sanctuary for _years_! He knows that place better than anyone here! He also knows Simon. He'll be able to predict what he'll do next and know how he'll respond to certain scenarios."

"Wait this guy you're speaking of, is a _Savior_?" Benjamin asked angrily, speaking for the first time.

"Benjamin!" Ezekiel reprimanded.

"No, it's okay." Abby said turning to Benjamin. "Yeah, he was. And I ain't gonna lie, Merle's an asshole. He's a racist, sexiest, white supremist kind of person but he knows his stuff."

"And you trust him?" Ezekiel asked, shocked.

"With my life." Abby said solemnly.

"With _your_ life." Glenn said tiredly. "The rest of us don't have the benefit of being married to his brother or carrying the next generation of Dixon."

Ezekiel turned his shocked expression to Glenn then back at Abby once more. "He's your brother-in-law? Daryl's brother?"

Abby smirked slightly. "Yeah. Minus the racism and sexism, Daryl was a lot like Merle when I met him."

"Daryl's certainly come a long way." Maggie said smirking. "Abby's tamed one Dixon and she's well on her way to taming the other."

"I wouldn't say that to Merle." Abby said chuckling.

111

An hour later, Abraham was parading the prisoners through the office for Abby to question. Most where unfamiliar to Abby and were mostly co-operative but when Abraham brought in Jared, he smiled at her cheekily, bring on an almost overwhelming need to shoot him. Abby glared at him as Abraham marched him to a chair and forced him to sit down in the chair across from her.

"I remember you!" Jared gushed. "You were that super hot psycho bitch that Ezekiel brought with him that one time."

"Oh and I remember you too." Abby said, looking at him like she was bored. "I disassembled a gun while you held it." Abraham snickered as he came to stand behind Abby. "From what I remember about you, I should be recommending putting a bullet in your head instead of letting you out of your cage. Convince me otherwise."

Jared scoffed. "No matter what I say, you won't let me out, so why should I try?"

Abby shook her head. "I bet you were such a loser before this. You've got no drive. If you think there's no chance of winning, you just give up, you don't even bother trying. Do you know how many times my family beat the odds? We never gave up, that's why we're still here."

"But you won't be for much longer. Negan might be dead, but Simon is much more vicious than Negan, more blood thirsty." Jared said now glaring at her, she must have hit a nerve. "When Simon kills you all, I don't want to be seen helping you."

"I think yer wastin' your time with this one." Abraham said as he moved forward. "Get up."

Abraham hauled Jared to his feet, then shoved him towards the door. They disappeared through the door, Abraham aggressively shoving and smacking him upside the head when he stumbled. Abby looked over her notes as she waited for Abraham to bring the last prisoner. So far, she had three distinct groups; the definitely still Saviors, the definitely not Saviors and fence sitters.

It didn't take long before Abraham arrived with the last prisoner. Like most of the other ones, Abby hadn't seen this one before. He smiled at her nervously as he sat down in the same chair that all of the other prisoners had sat in. He was one of the younger Savior's, probably in his mid twenties and his body language told her he was both eager to please but also slightly scared.

"Name?" Abby asked simply.

"Alden." He answered. "You're Abby, right? Jared didn't have particularly nice things to say about you."

"I'm sure. I made a fool out of him in front of Gavin." Abby said as she stretched her back.

"That's not hard too do, he generally does that too himself." Alden said smirking slightly. "He said you had a death wish, that you even smiled when he put a gun to your head."

Abraham scoffed as he decided to sit down this time, probably reading the man's body language as passive. "You don't reach Gunnery Sergeant by scaring easily." He mumbled under her breath.

"So, you're military. I guess that makes sense but why are you the one interviewing us? I mean, why not one of the leaders? Why not Maggie, Rick or Ezekiel?"

"I'm a sniper and I had a partner who was a forensic profiler. On top of my normal training, he taught me a thing or two about reading people. It's handy when you're trying to spot terrorist."

"So you're here to tell whether we're actually the enemy or a potential ally." Alden finally concluded.

Abby leaned back again. "More or less."

"I offered my help to Maggie when Simon wrote us off, but she declined, sent me back to our cage."

"Maggie isn't exactly thinking straight right now, she's more concerned about the safety of her unborn child and her husband. Hormones are a bitch." Abby said absently.

"From what I've over heard, you're pregnant too."

Abby rubbed her forehead, annoyed that her news had spread so far. "That's partly why he's here." Abby said pointing at Abraham while she tried to keep her cool. "Both to protect me and get a second read but I'm good at reading people, always have been."

"And what's your read on me?" Alden asked, his eyes darting from her face to his hands, obviously nervous.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be asking the questions?" Abby asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Alden looked at her ruefully. "Sorry."

"How do you feel about this war?" Abby asked finally getting into interrogation mode.

Alden finally settle his gaze on her face. "Sad. Scared. I get why you guys are all fighting back but I don't want people to die. There are good people among the Savior's too, you know."

"I know, which is why I'm talking to you now instead of putting a bullet in your head." Abby said making Abraham snort. "And what are your thoughts on my people?"

"It's kind of hard to tell what your people are really like, being a prisoner and all but from what I've seen, I think I'd prefer you guys over the Saviors. Most of you seem fairly reasonable. I mean you let Merle join you. Merle isn't exactly an easy guy to get along with. In fact, I'm surprised you'd let a guy like him join."

Abby raised an eyebrow. "You've heard about me being pregnant, but you haven't heard of Merle's connection to us?"

Alden looked at her surprised. "No, I didn't know there was a connection…besides that some of you are from Georgia."

"Well, he's my brother-in-law, so I kind of have to put up with him and seeing as there is nothin' more important to him then blood, he'll stay loyal to us. So long as Daryl's still alive and I got this baby in my belly, he'll fight tooth and nail for us." Abby said.

"I might not have Merle's motivation, but I am loyal to those who deserve my loyalty and I think your people deserve that loyalty. I promise to fight not just the Savior's, but any new enemy we encounter in the future." Alden said solemnly. "I want to join your people, not just help them today or just help you for now. I'm in it for the long run."

This time, Alden met her gaze as she studied him. She could see that he was still slightly afraid, but she could also see a sincerity in his eyes. After a moment, Abby looked over at Abraham and nodded her head. Abraham returned the nod then stood up and indicated for Alden to do the same. Alden obeyed the gesture and turned to walk away but stopped and looked back at Abby.

"Thank you, for even considering us. I know there are those who will try to deceive you and others who will flat out try to hurt you but there are some of us who _do_ want to change." Alden said. "Please, let me help. You won't regret it."

Saying his peace, Alden turned and left the door, followed closely by Abraham. After an hour of consideration, Abby and Abraham finally made up their mind and called a meeting with their leaders. This time Daryl and Merle joined them for their meeting. After a long discussion, they decided that seven of the prisoners that would be released; which included Alden. What they couldn't seem to agree on, was what to do with those they didn't trust. Merle wanted to shoot them, save on resources, Glenn wanted to just keep them imprisoned and Rick wanted to use them as cannon fodder. Abby was more inclined to do either Merle's idea or Rick's but since they couldn't come to an agreement, they decided to wait until after the battle to they chose what to do.

The sun had started to set, so when everyone parted ways, Daryl guided Abby back upstairs by the hand and guided her to the bed in the room where Rosita and Tara were already curled up on the ground. Abby looked at the two women guiltily.

"You know, Daryl can sleep on the ground and you ladies can sleep on the bed with me. There's enough room."

Daryl shrugged. "Yeah, I don't mind. I'm well acquainted with floors."

Tara chuckled. "I appreciate the offer but I'm good, pregnant women need their space. My sister was a super restless sleeper when she was pregnant."

"Thanks for the thought but I'm good too." Rosita said smiling ever so slightly.

"You'll probably have sweated several liters come mornin', if you did." Daryl said smirking, earning him a hard slap on the arm.

"Ever think that yer so hot all the time because yer own body heat?" Abby asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's totally his own body heat." Michonne said smiling as entered the room and propped her sword against the nightstand.

"Alright everyone, time to hunker down, we need to get up early tomorrow." Rick said as he walked into the room with Carl.

They all curled up in their areas, Daryl climbing in bed with Abby and cuddling up behind her despite his complaint of her body heat. Abby was in a deep sleep when a strange sound reached her ears, bring her to full wakefulness, making her lift her head. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who'd heard it as Daryl rolled out of bed and the others got to their feet. Michonne slowly cracked the door open and peered out into the walls.

"Walkers!" She hissed then threw the door the rest of the way open and rushed out.

"Stay." Daryl said firmly as he pointed at Abby, then rushed out behind the others, before Abby could object.

Abby muttered to herself, feeling like a complete invalid, as she rolled out of bed and walked to the door with her dagger in hand. As she slowly edged out of the room to the rail, she saw her family taking out walkers on the main level, having already killed the two Michonne had seen before she left. A scream came from a room down the hall, so Abby ran to the door, keeping her eyes sharp for any other missed undead.

When she swung the door open, she saw one of the Kingdom's doctor on her back, fighting off a walker with a candle stick as it grabbed her hair and tried to take a chomp out of her. Abby rushed forward, pulled the walker off of her and plunged her blade into its skull.

"You okay?" Abby asked as she offered her hand to the woman as she stood up.

"Yeah, thanks. I fell asleep while I was watching Leroy, I guess he must've died in his sleep." The woman said frowning. "I don't get it, he just had an arrow to the leg. I mean he had a mild fever this morning and it's been getting worse, but it shouldn't have killed him!"

"He wasn't bit?" Abby asked as she knelt down by the corpse.

"No, I made sure of that when his fever broke out."

"He wasn't bit but he was infected." Daryl said as he entered the room. "Rick said that Negan's bat was soaked in walker blood, he thinks that maybe all the Savior's did the same."

The doctor nodded her head. "That makes sense, everyone who's been wounded, no matter how minor, was getting a fever."

"Get outside with the others." Daryl said waving them to leave. "Still gotta secure house." When Abby gave him the stink eye, Daryl raised his hands in defense. "Hey, Maggie's outside too."

Abby glared at Daryl but followed the doctor out of the room. Once out, Abby took the lead as they headed down the hall, knife poised to strike if she got attacked. As they walked down the stairs, Abby saw several dead on the ground with more being dragged into the lobby, as well as someone's severed arm.

When outside, Abby saw that most of their residents had already exited the building, except for those who were clearing the house. When Carl saw her, he sighed in relief as he walked over to her and hugged her. He was just about to say something when screams and shouts erupted from the prisoner's pen.

Abby, Daryl, Carl and Maggie all ran to the pen and saw some of the prisoners fighting off a pair of walkers. Abby reached for her pistol then cursed when she realized that it was still sitting on the nightstand in their room. Daryl and Carl were more prepared and shot their weapons to put the walkers down. They had yet to release the ones that Abby had deemed safe but they fortunately, all survived. The ones who hadn't survived, were the Savior's who'd been caught in the last battle and the one who had been injured on the balcony.

Maggie decided it was time to let the good ones out. She called the names that she had memorized on the list then ordered the others to step back. Once the good ones had stepped outside the pen, and the two dead walkers were dragged out of the pen, Maggie faced the prisoners as they looked at her with looks of dread.

"Yer free." Maggie said simply then quickly raised a finger as they stared at her in shock. "On the condition that you help us fight. If you don't want to fight, you go right back in there."

"Why do they get to be released?" Jared asked angrily.

Maggie just glared at Jared then turned and walked back to the house. Abby, on the other hand, gave him a _'are you really that stupid?_ ' look.

"Why do you think asshat?" Abby asked.

"Those people still have some amount of respectability, some trustworthiness and a willingness to help." Carl said simply. "You don't."

"Let me get a good grope of your tits, beautiful." Jared said smiling lecherously at Abby as he reached towards her. "And I'll very willing to help."

Abby opened her mouth to make a snide remark, but Daryl reached forward faster than a cobra, and reefed him forward, smashing his face on the gate post. Abby heard his nose crunch and break with the contact but Daryl wasn't done with the man. As his legs buckled, Daryl grabbed the collar of his shirt and held him up while still holding his arm. Abby looked beside her as someone touched her back and saw Merle smiling.

"You talk to my wife or any woman like that again, a broken nose and arm will be the least of your problems." Daryl snarled.

"My arm isn't broken." Jared said stupidly still smiling at Daryl.

Daryl brought his knee up high, as he brought Jared's arm down on it hard. Jared screamed like a little girl as his arm crunched even louder than his nose.

"It is now." Daryl snarled.

Merle let out a hoot then laughed. "You have no idea how much that little prick deserves that!"

Abby sighed as she rubbed her temples feeling tired and hungry. "That's enough Merle."

"He's right, he deserves that." Benjamin said from behind them.

All four of them turned and looked at him, shocked. The kid was generally kind and seemed gentle, but Abby understood why he was angry.

"Maybe but we're supposed to be better than them, especially you. The three of us are old shits who've seen too much."

"Who you callin' old?" Merle muttered quietly under his breath, making Daryl smirk slightly as he nudged his brother.

111

The next morning, Daryl and Abby were sitting elbow to elbow cleaning guns when Rosita came up to them and sat down, picked up a rifle and partly dismantled it. She was half way through cleaning it when she finally looked up, focusing mostly on Daryl.

"I don't know how much you guys heard about what happened when you two were gone." Rosita said looking between the two.

"Not a great deal." Abby said, glancing up from what she was doing. "I heard you tried to shoot Negan, nearly succeeded too."

"Yeah, and that's what I want to talk about." Rosita said as she cleaned the barrel. "A week after you left, Negan showed up and cleaned us out of all our guns and ammo. I was angry for what they did to Aaron and Tyrese, heartbroken with Abraham breaking up with me, angry for what Negan tried to make Rick do to Carl. I found this pistol while scavenging but no bullets. Then I remember talking to Eugene after you'd gotten shot, he said he'd been out there to show Abraham this place where he figured we could make bullets. So, I went to him with a bullet casing and asked him to make me a bullet and he did.

"That day I took a shot at Negan. He'd just killed Spencer and I lost it. If it hadn't been for that damn bat, that bastard would've been dead a lot sooner."

"Is there a point to this story?" Daryl asked as he continued cleaning the massive pistol he'd found.

"My point is, I think Negan was planning on using Eugene to make bullets and I imagine Simon will continue with that plan." Rosita finally concluded.

Daryl looked over at Abby then back Rosita. "Might be worth lookin' into. If we can get their bullet maker, it'll make things harder on 'em."

"Exactly." Rosita said nodding.

"Do you mind if Abraham comes a long, also?" Abby asked as Daryl stood up. "Seeing as he's been there before."

"That's fine." Rosita said, even though her body language said that it was so _not_ fine.

Abby looked up at Daryl. "You should let me go too, who knows how many people they have there."

Daryl frowned. "Hell no, look what happened when you went out with Rick!"

"Look at what happened while I was sleeping!" Abby countered.

"She's right, she'll be fine. Maggie's been doing all sorts of things and no one seems to mind but Abby sneezes and you and Rick, freak out." Rosita said, surprising Abby by coming to her defense.

"Thank you." Abby said, appreciatively.

"Maggie ain't my wife and this is different." Daryl growled, obviously not appreciating Rosita standing up to him.

"You're right, this _is_ different. Maggie's even further along and has had complications, nearly lost her baby. Yet she's still putting herself out there!"

"We _did_ lose a baby!" Daryl snarled, getting dangerously angry.

Abby stood up as Rosita looked away, suddenly looking like she was feeling guilty. Abby put a hand gently on Daryl's arm and made him look at her.

"Daryl. That won't happen again, I'll be extra careful, I'll hang back try to stay away from close combat, but I can't sit on the sidelines and tell people what to do. This is war and it needs to be done quickly but also correctly. I'm a bit of a control freak and I have to do it myself. That way I know my plan will be done right and I plan on making sure it is, so our baby has a future I can live with it growing up in."

Daryl deflated but he still looked unhappy. "Fine, but you bring that sniper rifle and stay far from the actual fighting."

Abby gave him a two-finger salute. "Yessir."

"I'll go find Abraham." Daryl muttered, obviously annoyed at being foiled as he walked away.

"Sorry." Rosita said once Daryl was out of ear shot. "I kinda forgot about that."

Abby shook her head. "It's fine, that lasted two days from the time we met. I'm sure the others have forgotten too." Abby smiled at Rosita, making Rosita stare at her in shock. "Thank you for standing up for me. Normally I can boss him around and he sort of listens but when it comes to our safety, he'll only do what _he_ thinks is right." Abby said rubbing her belly.

Rosita smirked slightly. "Men."

Abby laughed. "I'll get my stuff and meet you by the gate."

111

Half an hour later, the four of them crammed into a car and drove for their destination. To appease Daryl, Abby wore her Kevlar vest with a warm jacket underneath it and Daryl's vest overtop and brought an unnecessary amount of food. When they stopped to park their car, Daryl carried the bag with food, the extra ammo and had eyed up her rifle as she picked it up. When she gave him the death glare, he wisely said nothing and followed after Rosita as Abraham grinned at him as he walked by. It made Abby feel a little better that Daryl was still scared of making her mad.

Abraham gave her a nudge with his elbow, grinning like a fool, as he walked beside her then took point. They followed him through the streets, being completely quiet and sticking to the shadows as not to attract neither walker nor Savior's, attention. After forty minutes of walking, Abraham finally turned down a back alley then climbed the ladder to the roof. Once they were all on the roof, they crawled on their elbows and knees to the opposing edge of the building then peer carefully over the side.

"That's it." Abraham said softly, indicating the door in the side of the building across the alley from them.

Lucky for them, the Savior's hadn't posted any guards on the roof and only had one on the door. Daryl pulled her small pair of binoculars from her side pocket as Abby looked through the scope she'd removed from her rifle. After a moment they both passed them to Abraham and Rosita, so they could also take a look. They were definitely doing something in there but the window above the door, was much too small to see anything of value.

"So what's the plan?" Abby asked. "We can't just bust the door down, we don't know how many people are in there or the floor plan."

"Agreed." Abraham said nodding his head slowly, obviously deep in thought.

"They've got to leave eventually to test the ammo, right?" Rosita asked. "Maybe we can pick them off a couple at a time or maybe we'll get lucky and Eugene will come out!"

"That's a lot of maybes." Abby said tiredly.

"It'll be worth it, trust me." Rosita said firmly, for once not taking insult from Abby's comments.

"Abby. Maybe we should set you up a couple blocks back." Daryl suggested, earning himself another death glare. Daryl sighed as he met her glare with his own. "That road we came on is the most logical way for the Savior's to come here. If there is more of 'em comin', it'd be nice to get a heads up."

"Actually, not a bad idea." Abraham said, nodding his head in agreement.

"Fine." Abby growled. "I'll find myself a good spot… _without_ an escort." Abby quickly added as Daryl opened his mouth.

"She'll be fine." Abraham agreed although he did look at Daryl sympathetically. "It's only a couple blocks."

Daryl watched her unhappily as she scooted back from the ledge, then got her feet under her and walked carefully back to the ladder, hunched over. She carefully peered over the side, to make sure there was no new surprises below then slid down the ladder. When she reached the end of the alley and she looked both ways down the street, but there was still no one there, undead or living. So, she looked up and surveyed the buildings.

There was nothing that Abby deemed as tall enough, the tallest building being only two stories tall. As she continued to look, there was nothing for her to get up on to get a good view from. No trees, no water towers or antenna for her to climb up either.

"Team snatch, this is eagle eye. Do you read me?" Abby asked quietly, pressing the button on her earpiece.

"Eagle eye, this is team snatch. We're reading you loud and clear." Abraham's voice came, chuckling ever so slightly.

"I'm not seeing an ideal location for a nest, but I'll make do. I'll be in contact when I settle a nest." Abby said as she continued to look down the street.

"Roger that, eagle eye. Snatch out." Abraham replied.

Abby sighed as she stared at her options, she couldn't get the height that she wanted but she could at least get a decent position. Three blocks down, there was a store that had big windows on two sides, one side facing the street she was on and the other facing the main thorough fare that went by the street. It didn't get any better than that building so Abby looked in both directions then quickly darted across the street, before heading down the street to the back door of the store. Abby had just popped the lock when a clicking sound, right by her ear, made her stop.

"Drop your knife and keep your hands where I can see them." A voice threatened.

Abby dropped her knife then slowly raised her hands as she slowly turned to face her enemy, then cursed herself when she saw three Saviors pointing their guns at her. At the end of the alley, Simon suddenly came into view then grinned as he saw.

"Well shit, who do we have here? Abby Dixon!" Simon said grinning then looked at the man nearest to her. "Frisk her."

The man took as step forward, kicking her knife away from her then indicated the wall with his gun. "Hands on the wall. You move an inch, you'll be dead."

Abby gritted her teeth but did as she was told and put hands on the wall. She was trying to think of how to subtly signal the others. The man slowly inched forward, apparently a little scared of her and immediately relieved her of her rifle, handing it back to his buddy. He then pulled out her pistol, also handing it back before seeing her earpiece.

"She's got a radio on." The man said towards Simon as he pulled it out of her ear then reefed the cord up.

"So, I hear you're knocked up." Simon said as the man pulled the radio out of her vest then continued checking each of her pockets. "What the hell are you doing out here? Come to collect my bullet maker?" Abby just stared at the wall, not willing to say jack. "I know you're not out here alone. Where are they?" Once again, Simon paused so she could respond but she just continued to stare at the wall. "Pulling a page from your husbands' book, saying nothing?"

Abby finally turned her head towards him. "No, I'm much funnier then him. There's a reason why Merle thinks I'm awesome."

Simon laughed. "That Merle is quite the character, isn't he? I would have never guessed that he was related to Daryl. Are those boys out here with you? Daryl _has_ to be out here."

"I'm sure Eugene will confirm that I'm wildly independent and rarely do what I'm told. I'll out survive all of you little shits."

"Not if you're dead." Simon said dryly.

"You won't kill me. Like you said, I'm knocked up and if you care anything 'bout the future, you'll hold off killing me 'til I have this kid." Abby said, slowly turning to face them.

"Not to mention that I can use you and your kid against your husband and brother." Simon said as the man who'd frisked her, slowly moved behind Abby and bound her wrists.

Abby grinned. "There's that."

Simon looked at her cautiously then looked at her men. "We're taking her back to my truck, then go to the shop, get some of those idiots to help and go looking for her companions. She isn't a lone."

They marched her back to the street, then walked her even further away from the others. They must've seen her running down the road, because they had stopped almost six blocks back from her position. One of the men opened the door, man handled her up into Simon's big truck then belted her into the seat as one of the other men threw her stuff into the truck bed. After the door had been slammed shut, Simon said a few more things to his men then walked around the front of the truck as his men moved back down the street. When Simon opened the door, he smiled at her as he climbed up into the truck.

"Are you ready to see the inside of Sanctuary?" He asked grinning.

"I already have." Abby said grinning then chuckled when his grin faded.

* * *

Uh oh! Simon got his grubby mitts on Abby! Hopefully things go well for her!

-Shockra


	20. Chapter 20

Hey everyone! Fear not! This is not the last chapter, I've got at least one more! So enjoy this and I'll see you next week!

* * *

Abby stared at the landscaped as it slid by with a bored expression on her face, as Simon sped down the highway, heading for Sanctuary. Off in the distance a farm house slowly emerged from the trees, as they drove, giving Abby some inspiration. She straightened up and looked over at Simon, who eyed her suspiciously as she indicated the house as the approached the turn off.

"I have to piss like a racehorse. You mind stopping?" Abby asked.

"You can hold it." Simon said, ignoring her request.

"Uh, no. I can't. I'm pregnant, remember." Abby said then shrugged. "But if you want me to piss on your fabric seats, I don't mind. "

Simon slammed on his brakes and glared at her. "Then you can do it in the ditch."

"Sure, whatever." Abby said shrugging. "I thought you were smart, but I guess yer just as stupid as the rest."

"How is letting you piss in the ditch stupid?" Simon asked, looking pissed. Apparently, he didn't like his intelligence questioned.

Abby grinned. "You think I'm going to tell you that?"

Simon growled as he accelerated again but then turned down the driveway for the farmhouse. He flew down the driveway then slid to a stop by the front porch. He disappeared inside, probably to make sure the location was secure, so Abby carefully inspected her surroundings as she waited. If she had a chance to run, she needed to know which direction was best. She saw movement near the door, so she crossed her legs and rocked back and forth like she really had to go. Simon appeared on the front step and he looked unhappy, but he walked down the steps to her passenger side door. He reached across her lap to unbuckle the seatbelt then jerked out of the truck, making her fall to her knees on the ground.

"Oh yeah, that was really great for my bladder." Abby complained as she got to her feet.

She rushed forward, pulling Simon along behind her as he held on to her elbow as she rushed for the door. He finally let go of her arm as they walked into the house. Abby looked around, looking for signs of a bathroom, as she did the pee-pee dance.

"Which way? Which way?" Abby asked, making her voice sound strained as she danced.

"Up the stairs. First door on the left." Simon said as he followed her.

She ran for the stairs, taking two at the time and immediately darted left. Simon kept up with her and nearly bumped into her as she looked down at her pants then at the toilet as continued to dance.

Simon sighed. "What's the problem now, princess?"

"My pants." Abby said through gritted teeth. "No hands."

"Well I'm not stupid enough to untie you." Simon said crossing his arms as he glared at her.

"You don't have to." Abby said. "I ain't shy, just pull my pants down, watch if it makes you feel better." When he didn't immediately move, Abby shouted. "C'mon! I'm gonna piss myself!"

Simon sighed then stepped forward, grabbed her belt and unbuckled it. Abby fidgeted as he undid the top button of her pants, then when he undid her zipper and bent forward to push her pants down, she headbutted him right in the nose. He stumbled back then fell on his ass as Abby threw a solid body check that any hockey player would be proud of. As Simon rolled on the ground in pain, Abby jump in the air and swung her arms under herself as she tucked her legs in. Just as Simon started recovering, Abby kicked him in the head as hard as she could, knocking him out.

She knelt down beside his now limp body, removed his pistol and knife, then put the handle of his knife between her knees and cut the rope they had used to tie her hands. She then left the bathroom to search the other rooms for something to tie Simon up with, finding a nylon dog leash in what was clearly a kid's room. She quickly rushed back to the bathroom, pulling a desk chair behind her as she went, then bent over and awkwardly lifted Simon onto the desk chair and tied his hands behind his back then to the chair.

Satisfied with her bindings, she pushed him out of the bathroom and down the hall then into an empty closet. She then went back down the stairs, out the door to Simon's truck and looked in the truck bed where she had seen Simon's lackies put her stuff. She put everything back in its place, except the little black bag that they hadn't even bothered to look in. She finished off with putting her radio back into its pocket and the earpiece back in her ear.

"Team snatch, do you read me? This is Eagle eye. Do you copy?" Abby listened carefully to the radio crackle then tried again. "Team snatch, this is Eagle eye. Do you read me? If you can hear me, there are Savior's hunting you. They got me temporarily, but I've broken away. Daryl, if you can hear me, go towards Sanctuary, look for Hershel's house."

Abby had to hope he got her meaning, if he could hear her at all. She wasn't telling him to go to Georgia, but to look for a house that _looked_ like Hershel's house.

She finally went back inside, only to hear a thumping sound coming from upstairs. She went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When she reached the top, she realized that Simon was trying to kick the door open. Abby walked leisurely to the door, then stopped and knelt beside the door and pulled out her vials from their bag. She had only one needle, the same one she'd used on Morales, but she really didn't care if she gave Simon something.

Abby took a stab in the dark as to how heavy he was then added a little more, the dosage depended on weight and if she gave him too much, he'd have a heart attack. If she gave him too little, he wouldn't feel things much more than normal and she'd be more likely give him an overdose if she had to do it a second time. She put the vial away, stood up then grasped the syringe with her hand by the tube, her thumb on the plunger and needle pointed down, so she could stab Simon easily.

She listened to the rhythm of Simon's kicking then opened the door just as he was in motion for the next kick, managed to grab his leg then plunged the needle deep into the muscle of his thigh. He let out a high-pitched scream as Abby pressed down the plunger then removed the needle and pulled on his leg to pull him out of the closet.

When she let him go, he pushed off of the wall, rolling himself down the hall straight for the stairs. His chair swiveled around just in time for him to see the stairs and curse before tumbling down face first. Abby trotted to the top step, then doubled over laughing. Really, she could have stopped him from his journey to the bottom but to Abby, it was worth it to see the spill then watch him pitifully crawl like a caterpillar, ass in the air with the chair attached to it while he used his knees and chin to inch forward.

Abby collected herself just enough to leisurely walk down the steps then crouch down beside him. When he saw her beside him, he gave an indignant sigh as she continued to laugh.

"Shit, that's the funniest thing I've seen in a while! Damn, I wish I had a camcorder right then. That's a Funniest Videos winner right there." Abby said when she finally stopped laughing. "You think your face hurts now, give the drugs a minute to kick in and you'll really start feelin' it!"

"What did you do to me?" Simon asked as she turned him on his side then put her foot against the wheels and hauled him back on to them.

"Like I told Morales, it's a really long name, scientific name." Abby put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Although I gave 'em the truth serum. Lucky for him that I was in a good mood that day, 'cause if I gave him this shit then it'd been truly painful when the walkers got to him. Hadn't intended on letting him die but I was in too much of a hurry to make sure he was secure. Shit happens." Abby finally said with a shrug.

"You're bluffing. That was probably just water or something. Where the hell would you get something like that?"

Abby grinned wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know! Here, I'll show you ain't lying." Abby reached across from where she now sat on a coffee table and pinched his arm, making him scream in pain. "See, no lie. I bet your face is starting to throb something fierce, imagine what it'll feel like when I start stabbing you."

"No wonder Negan liked you so much, you're a psycho bitch!" Simon said between gritted teeth.

Abby pursed her lips thoughtfully. "No, I think I sway more to the sociopath side of things. Psychopaths tend to not have a proper grasp on reality, always seem crazy. I turn my inner demon off and on like a light switch. I'm mostly normal otherwise. Although I get why you might think that, we're at war after all."

"What're you going to do? I'm not going to say shit!" Simon snarled.

"Well duh! I'm going to torture you! Make you pay for what you've done to my people, Jadis' people, Hilltop and whoever else you were an asshole to. I'm not looking for information, I just want to make you sing." Abby grinned, feeling more than a little crazy.

Suddenly, the front door swung open and in stepped the most unlikely of pairs. Sophia and Enid, looking wild eyed but determined, stepped in with their guns raised, then saw that Abby was alone with her prisoner.

"Well, you ain't the visitors I was expecting." Abby said frowning, her inner demon being snuffed out by their presence.

"We heard your message on the radio, then we passed this house and I knew you had to be in here!" Sophia said as she rushed forward and gave Abby a hug as she stood up. "How'd he even get you?"

"Even I do something stupid sometimes. Where the hell have you two been? Do you know how worried everyone has been? Your poor mama!"

"We went to make some friends." Enid said just as three women from Oceanside, rushed through the door.

"Well isn't this a party." Simon growled.

Abby pulled her knife then stabbed it just behind his knee cap. "Shut it or you lose that knee cap!" Abby said scowling as he let out a shrill scream.

The three women stared in stunned shock as they lowered their spears.

"We thought you needed rescuing." Cyndie said as she tore her eyes away to look at Abby.

"I did, then I didn't." Abby said as she gave a nonchalant shrug.

"T-that's him! The man who ordered Tom and all our men murdered!" Said the short, blonde haired woman that Abby didn't know the name of.

Abby looked back at Simon as he cried and thrashed. "Knew there was more." Abby said then looked back at the Oceanside women. "He's all hopped up on a drug that makes bein' slapped feel like he got hit by a cinder block. You can give him a smack if it'll make you feel better or stick him." Abby continued as she pulled her knife back out, making Simon scream once more, and held it's handle towards them.

"I just want him dead!" The other short haired woman growled as she stepped forward with her spear raised but Enid stepped in front of her.

"No! We need him alive!" She said staring the woman in the face then looking back at Abby. "Maybe we could use him to stop the war!"

Abby looked back at Enid then sighed as she turned back to Simon and wiped her blade on his thigh. "It's your lucky day. You just got your ass saved by two sixteen year old rational girls. Daryl's right, I'm a sucker for logic." Abby stood up and stretched. "Looks like me and my hormones don't get what we want. Now if I was a psycho like you thought, I'd have just continued with my plan."

"You're going to let him live!?" Cyndie asked angrily.

Abby looked back at the Oceansider's. "For now. Could your friends be dears and load this sack of shit into the back of the truck out front?"

"What's wrong with your two arms?" The second short haired woman asked, annoyed. "Besides your damn wrist."

"It ain't my damn wrist that I'm worried about, I'm knocked up. I already took a risk hauling his ass on to that chair and righting him when he decided to try be Superman down the stairs with a chair attached to his ass." Abby laughed at the memory. "You shoulda seen him, funniest thing I've ever seen!"

The other woman softened. "I'm Kathy, this is Beatrice." She said then pointed to the first short haired woman. "And I think you know Cyndie."

Abby nodded as the to woman came forward. "Yeah, I do. I'm gonna untie him then one of you haul him up. If you want, you can lay him down or you can hold him up, he ain't likely to be able to stay up on his own steam."

The two women nodded then stepped forward and waited for Abby to untie him then picked Simon up by the armpits. They set him down on the ground, on his belly, then Beatrice put her knee on his neck and held him down as Kathy pulled his arms behind him while he moaned and cried pitifully on the ground. When Abby finished retying his arms, they hauled him back to his feet once more, making him howl in pain. This time he tried to stand on his own feet, but his legs only buckled underneath him as he cried even louder.

"That's some potent stuff!" Beatrice said as they hauled him towards the door. "How long does it last?"

"About eight hours…if he doesn't have a heart-attack first." Abby said shrugging as her and the other three women followed Beatrice and Kathy out.

"A heart-attack?" Cyndie asked in shock.

Abby nodded as they descended the front steps. "The drug alone can do that if I dosed him wrong but he's also older and under a lot of stress a lot of the time, his heart could fail."

"Are you a doctor?" Cyndie asked as they walked towards the truck.

Abby opened her mouth to reply but Sophia beat her to the punch. "Abby was basically a super spy for the Corps. Abraham said that snipers have a pretty good knowledge of basic medicine because they tend to be in situations where, if they get hurt, they need to know how to patch themselves up."

Abby laughed. "I'm not a _super spy_ , just a sniper…although a did do a bit of spying. That serum I gave him, is something we'd use in interrogation."

"I thought our government didn't torture people." Beatrice grunted as her and Kathy heaved Simon on to the tailgate.

"The government also wasn't supposed to operate in North Korea or our allied nation." Abby said shrugging. "Did that most of my career. There was a lot of things we weren't supposed to do but did. Torturing someone is the least of their crimes."

"Anyways," Enid started, interrupting Kathy's question. "Do you think that having this guy will make Negan surrender?"

"If he was alive? No, I don't." All five of the other women looked at Abby, shocked. "Yeah, if you ladies had stuck around, you'd know that I shot Negan then Rick used him as a scarecrow at Hilltops front gate. This shit is the Savior's new leader."

"Actually, he was their original leader." Kathy said angrily. "Like Beatrice said, he killed our men!"

"Well, don't worry he ain't gonna live long. We'll use him as a pawn, then he's dead."

All six of them had been standing behind Simon's jacked up truck, so they hadn't seen or heard the vehicle turn onto the driveway. It was only ten feet away when they finally heard the muted roar of an engine then raised their guns as it slid to a stop a few feet in front of Simon's truck. Abby immediately relaxed when she recognized the vehicle as the doors opened and Abraham and Rosita stepped out from the passenger side of the car. Daryl practically lunged out from behind the wheel of the car and ran up to her and squeezed the breath out of her.

"Too tight." Abby gasped.

Daryl mumbled a sorry as he put his hands on her face and looked her worriedly in the eye. Abby could hear Abraham approach but couldn't see him past Daryl.

"You alright, Gunney?" She heard him ask.

Abby reached up and gently removed Daryl's hand from her face and looked around him at Abraham. "I'm fine. Didn't touch me. Simon, on the other hand isn't so fine."

"Mother dick!" Abraham exclaimed as he looked over the side of the truck bed and saw Simon bloodied and crying.

Daryl finally looked away from Abby into the truck then looked back at Abby shocked. "What you do to him?"

Abby pulled the baggy from her vest pocket and held it out to Daryl. Abraham looked over Daryl's shoulder as he shook the contents into his palm. Daryl looked at her confused as Abraham picked up a vial and looked at the label.

"Holy nut butter!" Abraham exclaimed, eliciting a giggle from Sophia. He grinned momentarily at her then looked back at Abby. "Where'd you get this?"

"Where you think?" Abby asked, grinning.

"I'm still confused." Daryl said as he took the vial and squinted at the label.

"The vial that Abraham saw makes basically everything extremely painful." Abby explained then picked up the other vial. "This is what I injected into Morales to make him spill his guts to me."

"I thought this shit was just movie fantasies." Daryl said as he took the vial from Abby then put them back into their bag and tucked it into her vest pocket. He finally turned to where the other five women stood watching awkwardly. "You scared the shit outta yer momma." Daryl scolded Sophia as he looked over at her then looked at Enid. "And you ain't any better. You can't just go runnin' off on yer own!"

"We're not kids!" Enid growled indignantly.

"And you ain't adults. You two get in the damn car, yer riding with Abraham and Rosita." Daryl growled.

"C'mon ladies." Abraham said as he waved them towards the car as he rounded the front of the car to the driver side. Sophia didn't object, she just turned and trotted to the car while Enid glared at Daryl, then turned and marched angrily to the other side of the car.

"I didn't ask. Is it just you three or did more of your community come?" Abby asked the Oceansiders.

"We all came." Cyndie said solemnly.

"In vehicles?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah but we told the others to continue to Hilltop." Cyndie answered.

"Alright." Daryl said nodding his head. "You can ride in the back with that jackass since we only got enough room for two." The three women nodded and climbed up into the back without protest as Daryl walked over to Rosita's window. "You better lead." Daryl said when Rosita rolled down her window. "If we roll up in Simon's jacked up truck, we'll be eatin' bullets."

Abraham nodded then turned the car around as Daryl and Abby climbed inside the truck. Once they were inside and Daryl had started the truck, Abraham led them down the long drive. After they had turned back on to the highway, heading for home, Daryl looked over at Abby worriedly.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did they hitcha?" Daryl asked, a darkness coming to his face as he continued to study her.

Abby shook her head then finally allowed herself to get annoyed with herself. "No, they didn't touch me, they didn't have to. It's probably a good thing that I got Simon, so this thing can be over. I apparently don't handle being pregnant so we'll as Maggie. I get stupid."

"You're far from stupid, babe. Probably the smartest person I know." Daryl disagreed. "How'd they get you?"

"Like I said, I'm stupid…or maybe just gotten careless." Abby sighed suddenly tired, so she put her head against the head rest. "I was headin' to the best location I could see, ran across to the other side of the street, that must be when they saw me. I was at the back door of a building in an alley, picking the lock when a gun clicked by my head."

Daryl frowned as he looked back at the road. "That's unlike you."

"So is forgetting to turn the night vision off on my scope when I know lights are about to come on." Abby said then pointed to her head. "Nothing but scrambled eggs up here."

"You weren't like that last time. Other than being sick, you seemed perfectly…uh focused."

"They say no pregnancy is the same. The morning sickness is way worse this time and my brain isn't working much. At least I didn't cry when I got caught, I just wanted to gut him. I'm apparently a lot more homicidal right now."

Daryl laughed, a genuine laugh, making Abby feel inexplicably happy. "I'm serious." Abby exclaimed even though she was smiling. "Before Sophia and Enid showed up, I was gonna put some serious hurt on that asshole."

"Hence the drug." Daryl said, smirking at her.

"Then I was gonna let him die. I just wanted to watch him scream. Make him pay. And I'd have done it. It's moments like that, that I know I'm a monster. Normal people don't do that. I know I look normal and act normal sometimes, but I ain't. I'm just this ugly twisted black thing with a pretty shell."

"I know you ain't normal, babe, never thought you were." Daryl said softly as gently stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger. "But that don't make you evil or ugly. Yeah, you do things that scare even me sometimes but you ain't normally like that. You only do stuff like that when you get cornered or get pushed too hard emotionally. Everybody has a breaking point and we've had one bad thing after another happen to us, of course you get a little violent. When our baby comes, I'm sure it'll all go away…until someone stupid tries to hurt him."

" _Him_?" Abby asked, smiling slightly again.

Daryl shrugged. "I dunno I just got this gut feeling it's a boy."

"And if it's a girl?"

"I'll just as happy. How could I not be? Getting a little you?" Daryl said as he grinned, blushing ever so slightly.

111

As Daryl had predicted, Hilltop had reacted strongly to their appearance in Simon's truck, the walls bristling with guns. Abby poked her head out of the window and waved at them, then saw everyone lower their weapons and look confused. Their gate swung open so the two vehicles could drive through and were immediately surrounded by almost the entire community.

"Sophia." Carol cried immediately as she rushed forward and hugged her daughter tightly.

The whole community gasped as a bloodied Simon (Abby was pretty sure he had more bruises then when they left) was lifted up then practically thrown over the side of the truck, to the ground by Beatrice and Kathy. He cried out in pain, when he landed, then wheezed as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Whatcha got a horseshoe stuck up that fine ass of yers?" Merle asked Abby, grinning.

Daryl punched his brother in the ches,t hard. "That's my wife, man!" He growled. "My _pregnant_ wife."

"It has to be you, who got this shit." Merle continued, looking at Abby as he brushed his brother off. "My brother ain't calm enough nor smart enough to hook 'em such big fish."

"I'd hardly call it luck." Abby said, feeling exhausted. "More like I made good of a bad situation."

"Babe, you look exhausted. I'll tell them what happened, you go lie down for a while." Daryl said, coming back to her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

Abby was so exhausted by her little fiasco that she just nodded her head. Sasha came up beside her, wrapped her arm around Abby's arm then the two of them walked arm in arm to the house then up the steps. They walked down the hall to the room that they all bunked together in then Abby climbed into bed.

"How are you feeling?" Sasha asked as she pulled the blanket over Abby's shoulders.

"Mostly just tired." Abby said as Sasha walked to the windows and started pulling the curtains shut.

"What happened? How'd you get Simon?" Sasha asked as she came and sat down beside Abby.

Abby told Sasha about accompanying Daryl, Abraham and Rosita on their mission to capture Eugene. When she finished telling her about how she got captured and then how she'd escaped, she looked up at Sasha. "I don't know why I am the way I am. Daryl doesn't think I'm a monster nor does Beth or Abraham."

"You're not. I don't know why you've been obsessing over this lately. Abe told me about how he'd yelled at you, even shook you a little. He felt so bad, but he really didn't like you talking about yourself the way you did." Sasha said then stroked her hair. "He's pretty fond of you, he thinks of you like a sister."

Abby chuckled. "Like in need another overbearing brother!"

Sasha laughed as she laid down beside Abby. "Yeah, I'd be overwhelmed too. I know you wanted to stay in the fight but maybe you should just let us handle things from now on. You said its yourself, your mind isn't working like it should."

"Hopefully capturing Simon will greatly help us end this war. Hopefully there won't be any more fighting."

"Even if there is, maybe you should go to Sherwood. Take care of things there." Sasha said.

"But Maggie…" Abby started but Sash put a finger on her lips.

"Is Maggie, not you. You probably could've handled this the last time but this time, you seem so much more out of sorts. Like it's affecting you more."

"Probably because it is." Carson said as he limped through the door. "Sorry to interrupt but I heard you'd gone through an ordeal and you haven't had a check up since you got here."

"Sorry, I just got busy." Abby said as she sat up and Sasha got out of the bed.

"So you say. Does your brother and husband know that you haven't gotten yourself checked over?" Carson asked as he sat on the bed beside Abby and indicated for her sit back.

"Probably not." Sasha said as clunking sounds came from down the hall.

"Here you go boss." Jerry said, carrying a generator followed by Siddiq and one of the other doctors carrying a machine between them.

"Just put it down by the window." Carson ordered Jerry as Siddiq and the other doctor rolled the machine to Abby's bedside.

"If you were that desperate to get me to have check up, I could come to the trailer." Abby said as they set up the machine.

Carson shook his head. "It's too busy in there anyways. You need to peace and privacy." He then turned to the group who'd remained after bringing the things. "Everyone clear the room, so I can do a proper checkup. Sasha, could you make sure that no one but Daryl comes in here?"

Sasha nodded then followed everyone out, closing the door behind her. When it was just Abby and Carson left in the room, Carson pulled the blanket back.

"I'm going to give you a full examination, which means I'm gonna get up in your business." Carson said smirking at Abby's pained reaction. After several minutes into the exam, Carson looked up from what he was doing. "Do you think this war is over, now that we have Simon?"

Abby winced slightly, mostly because of what Carson was doing. "Hopefully but we won't know until we confront the Savior's. From what I've gathered from what both Merle and Dwight said, there isn't really anyone left with the ambition to actually run the Savior's. And with Simon and Negan gone, maybe the workers will be bold enough to stand up for themselves."

"I don't know about that, they've been pretty poorly treated. They're terrified."

"If we can make them see us as a good option, maybe they'll be inspired and join us." Abby said as Carson finally moved to the machine which Abby guessed was an ultrasound machine. It looked different then the last one he'd seen.

The door opened and in stepped Daryl looking worried. "Is everything alright?" He asked as he closed the door.

"Daryl, just on time." Carson said smiling at him trying to assure him. "So far everything is fine, I'm just about to do the ultrasound."

"Everything is fine, Daryl." Abby said soothingly as Carson pulled up her shirt. "He's just being a doctor."

"Your wife neglected to get a check up when we arrived." Carson said as Daryl came around the other side of the bed and sat down next to Abby. "I thought I should take the chance while I had it."

"Abby!" Daryl scolded. "Why didn't you get checked? After all that shit we went through leavin' Alexandria! You said you would."

Abby sighed. "I had a deadly sickness at the start of my last pregnancy and had to run for my life for like twenty miles, our baby survived that!"

"And we were fuckin' lucky that it did!" Daryl growled.

"Deadly sickness?" Carson asked as he squirted the jelly on to Abby's stomach.

"The community we had before Alexandria, it had strain of influenza burn through our population. We managed to find antibiotics to fight it, but it seriously softened us for when we got attacked." Daryl said solemnly. "Abby had just gotten back on her feet when the attack came."

"Oh! There it is!" Carson suddenly exclaimed.

Both Abby and Daryl squinted at the monitor. "Where?" Abby asked, making Carson chuckle as he adjusted the settings.

"It's really tiny, about the size of a peanut." He said as he zoomed in then pointed at the monitor. "There."

Abby smiled as she finally saw it. It hardly looked human but that tiny little peanut was her baby. Daryl kissed the side of her head as he squeezed her hand.

"So far, so good." Carson said, smiling at them. He turned away then pointed at a number on the screen. "That number there, is the babies heart beat and it looks good."

"So it's healthy?" Daryl asked.

Carson turned and smiled at them again. "Yes, it's healthy but I think your test might've been a little wrong, which isn't surprising."

Abby frowned "What does that mean?"

"It means that those tests expire and while it was correct about you being pregnant, it was off in the time." Carson said as he powered down the ultrasound machine then wiped the gel off of Abby's stomach.

"So how pregnant am I?" Abby asked as she pulled her shirt down and sat up.

"I'd say closer to nine weeks." Carson said as he stood up and pushed the machine to the door.

"That's not possible." Daryl said shaking his head. "That'd be before you got hurt…you lost so much blood."

"You probably would've been only a couple weeks then; your body might've been able to absorb the impact of the fall." Carson said, rubbing his chin as he thought. "I once heard a story of woman who fell into a machine that shredded up fish. Her lower half of her body got mutilated but some how her two week old fetus managed to survive the ordeal. The woman didn't even know she was pregnant."

"That's it, you ain't leavin' these walls." Daryl growled. "We nearly lost this kid and we didn't even know it! And now _this_! I don't expect you to go crawlin' off to Sherwood but you ain't gettin' near the danger."

Just the thought that she had nearly lost her baby, terrified her, so Abby nodded. "Okay." She just couldn't go through that again.

* * *

This one is coming to the wire! Usually I'm long done and already writing something else by the time I finish posting but as of right now, I'm still writing the next chapter. I'll probably just post it when it's done, whether it's in the next couple days or the middle of the week. I am almost done, though. I'm just hashing out the final details.

-Shockra


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone! So we're nearing the end! I planned on getting this out sooner as it was supposed to be the last chapter but I having troubles ending it. Then I decided to split it up! So one more very short chapter. It just didn't feel right being together with this chapter. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Abby was fast asleep when a hand grabbed her shoulder and shook her. At first Abby just groaned, too sleepy and disoriented to properly respond then suddenly sat up alarmed, suddenly concerned that something was happening. Abby looked around her then saw Enid standing by the bed watching her.

"It's just me." She said simply.

Her voice was relaxed with no sign of urgency, so Abby flopped back on to her pillow. "What?" Abby moaned.

"The leaders are meeting to talk about Simon's fate." Enid said, holding out a cup of water. "I thought you'd want to know."

"Thanks." Abby said sitting up again and swinging her feet onto the floor.

Enid held the water out to her again. "Can I ask you something?"

Abby took the water from her. "What?" Abby said then took a big gulp from the water.

"Why would you get pregnant now? In the middle of a war?" Enid asked. Usually people's tones were hostile and judgemental, but Enid was neither. She was young, and she was curious, that was it.

"I didn't plan for this to happen. Trust me, the las thing I need is hormones messing with my head." Abby said as she put the glass of water down and stood up. "But sometimes shit happens."

"Aren't you scared?" Enid asked, looking at her worriedly. "I heard the doctors saying that you and Maggie could die in child birth. Carl told me that was how his mother died."

Abby sighed as she patted the girl's shoulder. "You're right, it could happen but Lori, Carl's mom, she had complications. We didn't have a doctor back then and they had been stuck in a room with walkers nearby. That won't happen to either of us." Abby stretched again. "I better get to that meeting. In the office?"

"Yeah." Enid answered, nodding her head morosely.

Abby patted her cheek then headed out of the room. She trotted down the hall then down the stairs, nodding to people as she went by. Abby frowned as she went down the steps, people were giving her sympathetic looks. Abby walked into the room, the meeting already in full swing, and everyone went silent. Abby looked around the room as everyone but Daryl, stared at her.

"What? Is there something on my face or in my hair?" Abby asked confused by their silence.

Rick finally stood up from where he'd been leaned on his hands at the side of the desk, next to Glenn. "You said you were stepping back, baby girl."

"From doing missions, I can still help plan things." Abby said frowning.

Glenn cleared his throat. "Sorry Abby, I know you're getting a weird vibe. The cat got out of the bag, about what happened to you back at the church in Georgia and with what happened today? They're just concerned."

"Glenn had the audacity to try and make me step back too." Maggie said as she glared at her husband.

"It's too dangerous for you and your offspring, both of you. Let the rest of us handle things." Ezekiel said softly.

Abby and Maggie looked at each, both with mirrored irritation. "I think Abby and see things the same. We're doing this _for_ our children! The outcome affects our children more than it affects us." Maggie said coolly. If Abby had been the one to answer, her voice would've been dripping acid.

"You can't honestly be on board with letting your _pregnant_ wives fight in a war!" Cyndie exclaimed.

Glenn stepped forward to put a hand on Daryl's shoulder as he held his hand out towards Abby, knowing full well that their words would be less then kind.

"Maggie and Abby are both strongly independent women who are perfectly capable of fighting in this war without putting themselves physically in danger." Glenn said.

Daryl looked over his shoulder at Glenn. "Kiss ass."

"I don't get why we're arguing something so unimportant, especially since I just said I wasn't going out on that attack and it sure as hell ain't none your business." Abby growled. "Now what are we doing with Simon?"

"Ezekiel wants to trade 'em for a peace treaty and Oceanside just wants him dead." Daryl said, waving her to come over to him.

"Trading him and keeping him alive is a very bad idea." Abby said frowning as she walked over to Daryl but didn't touch him as she turned to the group.

"So everyone else thinks." Ezekiel said unhappily, Benjamin standing beside him with a frown.

"The man completely destroyed one community and killed half of another and if what Merle found out from him is right, he was planning betraying Negan." Rick said. "I don't want a man like that around. If we let him go, he'll just stir things up again. Remember that the Savior's still have the numbers and they could attack us when we least expect it."

"And if they're clever enough, the other communities wouldn't know about it until it was too late." Daryl added.

"So you're just going to kill him?" Benjamin asked. "Why bother bring him here if you're just going to kill him?"

"We're not going to kill him here but use him as an example." Rick said.

"You're starting to sound like them!" Benjamin said angrily.

"What do you expect us to do with 'em?!" Daryl growled angrily. "Imprison him?"

"Yes!" Benjamin exclaimed. "Tell the Savior's that you'll keep him alive so long as they behave!"

Abby chuckled. "I like you kid, but that's stupid. Simon ain't as popular as he thinks, they're just as likely to shoot him as we are! Especially if they find out he betrayed Negan!"

"I think Benjamin is right. If we go down that road, we start becoming them." Ezekiel said solemnly. "Maybe imprisonment is the best course."

Daryl suddenly grabbed Abby's arm and made her look at him. "Maybe they're right, it might even be a harsher punishment too." Daryl said surprising them all. "When they had me, I just wanted to die and the only thing that kept me strong, kept me sane was that I still had you, that I still needed to protect you from all this shit. You told me a story 'bout you gettin' captured during yer military days, think 'bout how you felt then. You even said it was likely a large contributing factor to yer PTSD."

Everyone was silent as Abby studied Daryl, while he met her eyes, open to letting her read him. Finally, Abby sighed as she put her head on his shoulder. When she looked up at everyone, they were all studying her.

"Maybe you're right." Abby said to Ezekiel.

"What!?" Cyndie exclaimed.

Abby looked at Cyndie sympathetically. "There _are_ worse things than death. You're young and I know some really bad things have happened to you but him dying won't make no one feel better."

Rick was obviously annoyed with Abby's sudden change of heart, but he rubbed his head as he nodded. "We could send him to Sherwood, give him minimal rations, no contact, a complete sensory deprivation. That'll make him wish we killed him."

"And if he decides to starve himself to death, that's his problem." Glenn agreed as he nodded his head.

"But that still don't get us anywhere closer to dealing with the remaining Savior's." Maggie reminded them.

"A show of force right on their front step." Abby suggested. "Do something similar to what we did last time, except we _all_ show up. Give 'em the ultimatum, let 'em know how our average citizen lives. The workers have to outnumber the fighters by now, tell 'em we'll fight for them, put an end to their misery. The fighters maybe able to keep 'em in line for a day or two but I think they'll come around."

Daryl smirked. "We don't have enough people to surround the whole place, they could get out and flank us."

"Get snipers on the four corners with night vision. Maybe I can get Abraham and Rosita to wire up some booby traps in our soft spots." Abby as she looked down, deep in thought.

"There it is." Rick said, the smile evident in his voice. When Abby looked up, he was indeed smiling.

"There what is?" Abby asked confused.

"That brilliant brain of yours. I think all but the ones who've known you longest, have started to wonder if I was blowing nothing but hot air." Rick said as he continued to grin, making Abby roll her eyes.

"It is indeed a good plan but what about Hilltop?" Ezekiel said, nodding his head in approval.

"Skeleton crew with heavy artillery." Abby said instantly. "That was the plan for Alexandria originally. We brought the guns with us. The Savior's won't even get close, let alone breach the walls."

"Which will include you." Daryl said firmly. "Then at least we'll have someone who knows how to operate them."

"And Maggie." Glenn put in, trying to sound as firm as Daryl.

Both Abby and Maggie glared at their husbands. Daryl, to his credit, stood his ground but Glenn shifted uncomfortably under Maggie's glare.

"They're right." Rick said, holding his hand up peaceably. "You two need to stay here with the doctor's and a handful of fighters. I know you both like to be in the thick of it, but you need to trust that we'll get things done." Rick said the last part looking directly at Abby.

111

Abby watched as Daryl sat down on his motorcycle, his crossbow strapped to the front, his pistol in his belt and assault rifle across his back. He sighed as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Stop looking at me like that." He said as he waved for her to come closer.

"Like what?" She asked as she walked up to him then she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Like I ain't comin' back." Daryl said, making Abby choke up as she looked away. That's exactly what she was scared of. Daryl reached up and turned her face back towards him. "I'm comin' home." He said firmly then put a hand on her stomach. "I've got too much to live for and I wanna see our son."

Abby laughed weakly. "You still think it's a boy?"

Daryl grinned. "I do. I'll even wager a bet. If it ain't, I'll change every poopy diaper until it gets old enough and if I'm right, I don't."

Abby laughed again. "That's too tempting to pass up! You're on." She smiled at him then bent down and kissed him deeply. "I love you and you damn well better bring your sexy redneck self, back here."

"I will." He said as vehicles started rolling forward. He gave her one more kiss then rumbled after their long caravan.

By the time the sound of vehicles had faded away, Abby, Maggie, Enid, Sophia and the doctors all stood on top of the walls, watching the trail of dust slowly blow away. With a deep sigh, Abby turned to others as they continued to watch the horizon.

"There's just the six of us and it'll likely be that way for a day or two. So here's how things are going to happen. We do two, twelve hour shifts. Maggie and I will be on alternating shifts. Maggie, you've been up longer so you, Enid and Siddiq go get some rest. The rest of us will stay up, keep watch."

"Good idea." Maggie said nodding her head.

"Do you think you can handle my rifle?" Abby asked, studying Maggie carefully.

"Yeah, I remember your little course back at the prison." Maggie said nodding her. "I think I can manage to shoot accurately up to the tree line."

"Great. I'll leave it up in the attic on it's stand." Abby said then pointed to the guns mounted by the gate. "You do _not_ fire those babies unless either Maggie or I give the okay. We have only so much ammo and they only reach so far. Now go get some sleep, you three."

Maggie nodded then turned and followed after the others as they headed to the house. Abby turned back to the other two.

"I know you ain't gonna like this doc, but Sophia is in charge." Abby said shocking both of them. "Or at least she'll be able to tell you what you need to do."

"Where are you going?" Sophia asked.

"First, I have to pee like a racehorse. Then I'm going up top, keep an eye from up there." Abby said then pointed to the radio. "Is that on?"

Sophia nodded and showed her the green light. "Yup."

Abby pressed the button on her earpiece "Check. Check."

Her voice was echoed back to her from Sophia's radio, satisfying Abby. So she left them then, making a quick detour to the outhouse before heading inside the Barrington House, then up the stairs and up the ladder. Abby circled the room, gazing out the windows as she walked.

This place was extremely beautiful, she thought, but boy did she miss home. More specifically, the ranch her and Rick had grown up on. She also missed her parents, so much. Abby shook her head, she didn't have time to think such things. She needed to be in the here and the now.

111

After six hours of standing on pins and needles, Rick had radioed her on their private channel, and told her they had successfully to lay siege on Sanctuary. They had a small patrol circling the area, looking for anyone trying to escape or for an unknown force who might sneak up on them. When darkness fell, they intended to set up a small landmine field directly outside the base with mines Abraham had been able to build and would set up booby traps for anyone who made to the nearby woods.

Rick had also told her that he didn't think the Saviors would last all that long. He thought, that without Negan or Simon to lead them, they seemed lost and disorganized. Still, Abby wasn't one hundred percent certain that things were going their way yet. They didn't know how many Savior's were inside the building, and how many weren't at Sanctuary.

As Abby had gone to sleep, after her she had returned from her adventure, Ezekiel and Carol had brought a handful of men to attack the small outpost that Rosita had brought them to. But when they arrived, everyone had already vacated the premise. They had searched the area for signs of where they might have gone but found nothing. Logically, they would have gone back to Sanctuary to restock the place with the bullets they'd made, but they had no guarantee that was what happened. Eugene was one smart cookie and could think out of the box and on his feet, so he could very well out smart Abby or Rick.

When her twelve hours was up, Maggie came to the attic and found Abby pacing the floor anxiously, still staring out of the windows. Maggie put a hand on Abby's shoulder as she stopped and stared in the general direction of Sanctuary.

"I know how you feel, it's killing me not being there. Not knowing." Maggie said softly as she stared in the direction as well.

Abby sighed. "Yeah. Things were going to plan when I last heard."

Maggie nodded. "Good. Now you need to try and get some sleep. I'll wake you if I hear anything."

Abby nodded and handed Maggie the radio and the extra night vision scope she'd been brought up to survey the area when darkness fell. She climbed down the ladder wearily and headed straight for her room. Even though there was still some daylight left, the second Abby's head hit the pillow, she was out.

111

"Abby!" Enid's voice came from somewhere beyond Abby's closed eye lids. "Rick is asking for you!"

Abby's eyes suddenly snapped open and sat up. "Is everything okay?" Abby demanded

"I think so, he just wanted to talk with you." Enid said, holding out a radio.

Abby took the radio. "Thanks." Abby said as Enid sat on the edge of the bed. "L1, you rang?"

"Sorry to wake you. We have a minor situation." Rick said.

"Okay, shoot." Abby said, blinking hard as she tried to wake up.

"Sanctuary has surrendered but most of the soldiers aren't here." Rick said, his voice strained. "They left only hours before we arrived."

"And they could be on their way here." Abby concluded.

"That's my guess." Rick responded. "I'm leery of breaking us up but we can't all leave here but if we stay and they go to Hilltop?"

"There's only six of us, Rick." Abby said. "We're not worth risking the war for. But that being said, we need to find them and capture or kill them. Send five scouts, Daryl and Jesus should be two of them, see if they can track and locate them. Also contact Sherwood put them on full alert, just in case."

"Maybe the six of you should head there, just in case." Rick suggested.

"No, that's too dangerous. If they were heading here, they're likely already out there and these walls are our best chance at survival."

There was a long pause before Rick responded. "You're probably right. I'll get everything squared away here then send ten men to Hilltop."

"Alright but tell them to approach with caution, we don't need them to be captured by any Savior's who might be hiding in the trees." Abby agreed. "Keep us updated."

"Roger that. L1 out."

Abby handed the radio back to Enid and flopped back against the pillows. "Should I go wake the others up?" Enid asked as Abby rubbed her face.

"No. Let them sleep. Let the other two know to keep on high alert, let them know that there is a strong chance of the Savior's showing up. Also make sure you have plenty of ammo on the walls, as well as food and water so you don't leave the wall unless absolutely necessary."

"How long will we have to do this?" Enid asked.

"Well, they gave up quicker than I thought they would but that was probably because their main defenders weren't there. It'll likely be a day or two before Rick and Ezekiel get things in order, maybe another day before those men Rick promised, arrive."

"So about three days? Can we last that long if they attack us?" Enid asked as she stood up.

"If that happens, then we can call for some reinforcements, but we still have to be careful." Abby said as she turned on her side as Enid moved for the door.

"What do you mean?" Enid asked frowning.

"It could be a trap, an attempt to split up our forces to make us more vulnerable." Abby said. "Take us out little by little."

"Are they even that clever?" Enid asked, her hand on the door frame.

"If Negan was still at the helm, I'd say yes. If it was Simon, I'd say no. He's nothing more than a blunt instrument that only knows how to use force but not finesse. Hopefully, whoever is running the show now, is very stupid. Now let me get my sleep and you go tell the others."

Enid nodded her head then left the room, closing the door as she left. Abby laid there on her side, trying to go back to sleep but with what Rick had just told her, her mind wouldn't shut off. Thankfully, Abraham had booby trapped the perimeter of Hilltop, similar to what Abby had done to Alexandria so hopefully that would be enough to scare any attack or at least make them think twice about attacking and give them a chance to scramble.

After a half an hour of flip flopping in bed, Abby gave up on sleep and rolled out of bed. The sun hadn't quite risen, but you could see the hazy purple on the horizon as the sun slowly worked its way up. Tired of being pent up inside of the house, Abby grabbed her assault rifle and decided to walk the walls. Siddiq frowned as Abby climbed to the top of the ladder, onto the platform by the gate.

"You still have three hours before we change shifts, you should go rest." Siddiq said as he looked back out at the forest.

"I can't sleep." Abby said as she brought out her binoculars. Even though it was largely still dark Abby could still see the open field fairly clearly, almost right up to the forest.

"Then you should eat. Maybe grab a book from Barrington house library? I hear you enjoy reading."

Abby looked over at Siddiq, her expression annoyed. "My nephew?"

"Yes. He was trying to find ways to occupy you without making you do anything physical. Although, apparently most things you enjoy, are physical in some sense." Siddiq said then grinned. "You aren't the sort that enjoys being idle, are you?"

Abby gave him a crooked, half smirk. "Nope."

"Maybe I can teach you how to meditate. It's good for the body and soul."

Abby laughed. "My head shrink in the Corp's tried to teach me that and failed."

"Maybe you will succeed this time." Siddiq said then grinned again.

Abby was just about to reply, when movement caught her attention. Frowning, she grabbed the night vision binoculars from Siddiq and looked out to where she'd seen it.

"What is it?" Siddiq whispered as he squinted, trying to see through the darkness.

Abby carefully surveyed the field then paused when the grass moved. She zoomed in on the spot, then suddenly made out a face. She zoomed out again, this time paying closer attention to the grass. Abby pressed her lips in a line, as she counted the people in the grass. About twenty-five people crawled through the grass on their bellies, moving slowly and trying to not be seen.

"Wake the others, the Savior's are about to attack." Abby said, her voice grim. Siddiq turned to leave but Abby stopped him again. "Can I use your radio?"

"Sure." He said as he unclipped his radio and handed it to Abby. Abby was impressed with his calm, despite the overwhelming odds. Most people would be freaking out by now.

"Maggie, we got hostile's crawling through the grass out front." Abby said as she crouched down and checked her gun.

There was a brief pause before Maggie finally answered. "Yeah, I see them. What's the plan?"

"We'll get set up on the wall, try and look like there are more of us than they are, maybe we can threaten them away. If we can't, we'll blow the perimeter bombs then blow the shit outta them with our grenades and gats. Hopefully that'll scare them off. If it don't, then we gotta fight them for as long as we can, and if worse comes to worse, we retreat."

"Roger that." Maggie said firmly.

"See if you can raise Rick, see if he knows how many Savior's left Sanctuary. Maybe give us an idea with how many people are out there and if we got their full attention."

"Will do. Should I get him to send reinforcement?" Maggie asked.

"Just what we discussed this morning. No more. Get whoever Rick sends to defend us, to radio when they get near. Maybe we can set up a trap."

"Right. I'll contact him now." Maggie said then the radio crackled as she changed channels.

By the time Abby had finished her conversation with Maggie, the other four squatted down beside Abby and watched her carefully. Sophia and Enid looked at her with complete trust, which scared Abby a little while both doctors watched her uncertainly.

"Enid. Sophia. I want you two to go about twenty feet down the wall, keep an eye on the edges, make sure they don't blindside us. Siddiq, I want you on the other side of the gate on that other gat. Dr. Katy, I want you eight feet to my left. Do you all have radio?"

Everyone nodded but Siddiq also held something out to Abby. "I grabbed you a headset, figured it'd be best if you could keep your hands free."

"Thanks." Abby said as she grabbed the headset then started attaching it to the radio as she talked. "Do not fire unless I say fire. There are grenades at various parts of the wall, when I give the okay to attack, use them first. Remember to pull the pin before you throw and for God's sake, hold on to that arm until you're ready to throw. The second that arm is released, you have less than five seconds before it blows up. Now spread out and wait for my word."

They all nodded then went to their assigned positions as Abby peered over the wall. They were about half a mile from the wall, so Abby picked up the bullhorn that was left there to threaten any approaching potential hostile, away.

Abby stood up fully then made half of herself visible. "Halt! Or one of you will be eating grenade!"

Abby watched through her binocular's as several of the people paused and looked between each other. After a quick discussion, they continued crawling forward. Abby picked up a grenade from the bucket at her feet, pulled the pin then lobbed it in the direction where she'd seen the largest gathering of people. She couldn't throw that far but the following blast was enough to cause a couple shouts and at least two to get up and run away, only to be gunned down by one of their own.

"Abby, Rick says that thirty-six men left, all heavily armed. Our back up should arrive in an hour and a half, hopefully sooner." Maggie's voice came over Abby's earpiece.

"Roger. I counted twenty five, now twenty three. There could be another unit waiting for us to soften up or be distracted. Keep a 360 view, they could be planning something." Abby ordered.

"Right." Maggie agreed.

"Sophia and Enid, move further down the wall. Try and keep an eye out for trouble." Abby said over the radio.

"Roger." They both said in unison.

When Abby looked over the wall once more, several the Saviors were gathered together, trying to hide in the tall grass as they conversed. Abby raised the bullhorn to her lips once more.

"We have a lot more from where they that came from. If you approach our walls, you'll either eat a grenade, or you'll eat a bullet." Abby said, using as much bravado as she could, which she was a master at. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, we have landmines set up around the whole fortress. Step on the wrong spot, then boom you're short a leg and that's if you're lucky. Then there's the gat's, they'll tear your force too pieces."

Abby was totally blowing hot air, they didn't have landmines, but they didn't know that, and she'd just thrown a grenade at them. Not to mention she'd managed to booby trap Alexandria twice, so hopefully they'll think twice before approaching. Abby watched the Savior's carefully then saw as they slowly scooted back.

"They're regrouping." Abby said over the radio. "They could still attack so everyone keep your eyes sharp. Maggie, I got the front gate, watch our backside."

"Roger." Maggie answered.

111

Two hours later, Abby was starting to get very concerned. They had yet to hear from their reinforcements and with the sun now up, the Savior's had yet to make a move. If it was her at the helm, she'd have attacked by now, capturing the Hilltop before Rick came back with his reinforcements but most people didn't have training in war tactics. But that may be to their benefit. Abby was trained to think a certain way and most of these people weren't trained at all, they just reacted and not necessarily in a rational sense, which could be their advantage.

Suddenly, the Savior's suddenly ran off into the woods. They had been lingering at the edge, watching Hilltop since they retreated so Abby was concerned about their sudden change.

"Maggie, I'm coming up. Something is happening." Abby said as she headed for the ladder.

She slid down the ladder then ran hard for the house, charged up the stairs and up the ladder to the top floor. She ran to the front bank of windows that face the gate, then brought her binoculars up to her face. She could see, off in the distance a fire fight happening between their reinforcements and the men that hadn't been with the main body of soldiers.

"Gun!" Abby ordered, and Maggie immediately handed it over.

Abby took her best standing stance then targeted her whoever she could. It was just over two miles away, bordering the furthest she'd ever shot but now was the time to pull all the stops. Abby's upper body lurched back as she fired her first shot. She saw the body crumple then moved on to the next. Abby and their reinforcements were lucky that the Savior's had decided to ambush them in a clearing, it gave her a chance to help. Ideally, she'd try to thin out the approaching force, but the tree coverage prevented that.

"See if you can raise our reinforcements, let them know twenty-three men are coming their way." Abby said as she continued to stare down her scope.

Abby felt helpless, watching their men through her scope and while she could still take out some enemies, her view was very limited. By the time the men who'd been at their gate, made it to their reinforcements, their reinforcements had defeated their original attackers and had loaded up into their vehicles once more. Maggie finally made contact as they continued down the road, then swerved off into the trees as the warning was passed down.

That's when Abby lost sight of everyone. A mixture of annoyance and anxiety washed over Abby as she lowered her gun, so she could get a wider picture.

"They're making a break for the gates." Maggie exclaimed. "They should emerge about half a mile to the right of the road." She continued as she pointed in the direction then put the walkie to her lips. "We got reinforcements incoming with enemies hot on their tail. Be prepared to fire and be sure of your targets."

Abby kept her eyes glued to the tree line, waiting for someone to break cover. When they finally did, Abby lifted her rifle and peered at the occupants of the vehicle.

"It's our people out front, be prepared to let them in!" Abby exclaimed to Maggie who then relayed the information to the others.

Abraham drove like a madman as he bounced over the uneven terrain, trying to swerve as the three vehicles of Savior's fired on them while they pursued. Abby targeted the nearest vehicle and aimed for the driver. This time, shooting would be easy, and she hit her target near perfectly, hitting him in the heart. The man died instantly and pulled the steering wheel to one side as his hands relaxed and steered the vehicle in front of the other vehicles. The car managed to brake and avoid hitting the other vehicle as it careened towards the forest and crashed into a massive tree. That was all Abby needed, to slow down the other vehicles to give the front gate time to open and closed the gate behind Abraham. If they tried to ram the gate, they'd only end up as pancakes against the newly reinforced doors.

Abby continued reining fire on their attackers, forcing them to get out of their vehicles and take cover behind them. When the gate closed behind Abraham's vehicle, everyone who was inside the van, piled out and made a dash for the walls. Among them was Glenn and Sasha, who immediately climbed the ladder and started firing on the Savior's. While the Savior's had superior numbers, they had the superior position, giving Abby enough height to almost see over the cars and shoot their aggressors while his behind their cover.

Then something happened that Abby could not predict. Suddenly and sporadically around the field, guns started exploding in people's hands, injuring them. Abby had already disabled the Savior's vehicles, so instead of trying to make a run for it, several Savior's put up their hands and slowly rose.

"Do we accept their surrender, Gunny?" Abraham's voice came over the radio.

"For now. Take your men and approach your targets. Carefully. I got your six." Abby radioed back.

She watched as everyone climbed down from the wall then followed Abraham to the gate. They filed out of the gate in a wedge formation and slowly approached the Savior's as they continued to stand with their hands in the air. Out of the twenty three that had pursued Abraham's vehicle through the forest, only twelve were still alive while none of the Hilltop fighters had died. But unlike the Hilltop, who had body armour and helmets, the Savior's had no protection whatsoever.

Abraham shouted out orders at the Savior's and they all lined up, side by side, with their hands in the air, facing their vehicles as three of the Hilltop fighters stepped forward. They did a quick pat down of each person, removing anything that could be a danger, then pulling their hands down and used zip ties from Sherwood to bind their hands. Once everyone had been checked and tied up, they were marched inside the walls, straight to the pen where they had been keeping their previous prisoner's.

"Well, that's that." Abby said as she lowered her gun.

"I'll radio Rick, let him know what happen then I'll meet you downstairs." Maggie said as she pulled her radio off of her belt and started changing the channel.

Abby nodded her head as she propped her gun against the window then headed for the ladder. Once she was outside, she headed straight to the pen where Abraham, Sasha and Glenn all conversed as the remaining seven, headed to the wall and relieved Enid, Sophia and the doctors of their watch.

"Hey, great timing." Abby said as she came over.

"How'd you hold those assholes off for two hours?" Abraham asked as he turned to her.

"Threatened to blow them sky high and with my track record, they wisely believed me." Abby said smirking slightly.

Abraham chuckled. "So, some of 'em do have brains!"

"What's up with their guns exploding?" Glenn asked as Siddiq came over.

"Faulty bullets." Abby said to which Abraham nodded.

"Considering they were getting Eugene make them bullets, I'd say they were homemade." Abraham said as he looked at a pistol that he'd been holding.

"Do you think it was intentional?" Sasha asked as she took the gun from Abraham then forced the badly damaged slider back and pulled out what remained of the exploded bullet.

"It's hard to say. Eugene has always been a bit of a wing it kind of guy." Abby said shrugging as she took the bullet from Sasha.

"He made a bullet for Rosita that didn't backfire." Glenn added.

"True." Abby relented.

"Sorry to interrupt but I'd like to look at our new prisoners. They're likely hurting from those guns exploding in their hands." Siddiq said as he gazed off towards the pen.

All four of them looked at Abby. "Fine but you get them to come to the fence, one at a time, under guard. They're likely to try something."

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Like I said there was more but it didn't feel right. So I'll add the last chapter shortly.

-Shockra


	22. Epilogue

Alright, here it is. The last part. Like I said, it short. Very short.

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A day and a half later, half of the attack force returned home with all of Sanctuary's gun. Most of what had been left of the Savior's fighters, had abandoned Sanctuary and attacked Hilltop, meaning there was almost no one left to protect Sanctuary while it was being repaired. So, trying to be more generous than Negan would be, Rick agreed to leave some of their men behind to protect it while it was under repair. But once it was repaired, Rick would leave only a handful of men behind and if anyone from the other communities wanted to join Sanctuary, they could.

For the next two weeks, they had patrols roaming the area, looking for pockets of resistance that they might have missed in the initial attack, but in the end, they hadn't found any more fighters. So, finally, they dispersed their small militia and sent everyone to their homes to rebuild. The Kingdom and Hilltop both, sent people to Alexandria to help clear out the walkers and repair the walls.

They had sent Simon to the deep depths of Sherwood's cell block, to be never heard or seen from again. He'd live what was left of his life, without any human contact, just four white walls with little light and no sound. His knee would eventually heal but if he ever needed to walk further than the three feet he had to move around, he'd have quite the limp.

Most of the non-combatants who'd gone to Sherwood, returned to their original communities, except a handful who seemed to enjoy living underground. Merle seemed to have also enjoyed his time in Sherwood and Rick let him continue to run things there. After a couple of weeks of dealing with Merle, Rick had come to realize that Merle had seriously mellowed out. He still had a big mouth and a short temper, but he'd become much more rational and was making good decisions with his people. Even Daryl seemed surprised with how well Merle was dealing with things.

Within a month everything seemed like it was starting to return to something resembling normal. Abby and Daryl had returned to their townhouse in Alexandria and immediately started preparing for their baby. At six months, Abby was officially forbidden from leaving Alexandria's walls. The only exception was made when she was to go to Hilltop to see Dr. Carson for her appointments.

As the months wore on and Abby began to show, Daryl's former anger had fizzled to almost nothing. Mostly, he'd become quite happy, although he tried to pretend like he was the same as before. Abby caught him a few times staring out the window or just off into the distance, looking deeply saddened and Abby knew he was thinking of the one they'd lost. She was just as guilty of thinking about it. She couldn't help but think that it'd be walking by now, starting to talk. She wondered who it'd taken after more, her or Daryl? A boy? Or a girl?

111

Abby walked down the stairs of their new house and into the living room, then frowned. Daryl and Deacon had just been there a moment earlier. She'd gone upstairs to change the shirt that Deacon had thrown up on and came straight back down. Her frown turned into a smile as she heard that familiar, heart stopping giggle. Abby walked to the front door and opened it to see Daryl sitting on the floor of their front porch with Deacon in his lap giggling while Daryl tickled him as Rick sat on the front step, smiling.

"I go out of the room for one second and you disappear with my baby." Abby said as she leaned against the door jam.

" _Our_ baby, and I just went out the front door. Thought he needed some fresh air. I don't want our kid to be a home body." Daryl said, smiling from ear to ear as he looked up at her.

Seeing him so happy, made Abby happy and seeing him with their son, made her heart overflow with joy, pride and contentment. Abby finally tore her gaze from the happy scene to look down at her brother.

"Did you just get here?" Abby asked him.

Rick looked up from watching Daryl and Deacon to look at her. "We were supposed to go out on a run, but somebody got distracted." Rick said then pointed at Daryl.

"Give me the little monster." Abby said holding out her arms. "Duty calls."

Daryl picked Deacon up then handed him over to Abby. He kissed Deacon on the head then Abby on the lips. "Be right back."

When Daryl was out of earshot, Rick stood up and looked into the house. "It's really nice to see, you know. Him like this. After what he's been through, where he came from. He deserves this." Rick stepped closer to her and kissed her on the side of the head then looked her in the eye. "And so do you."

"Ready." Daryl said coming down the steps, carrying his crossbow. "Let's go."

Abby swayed back and forth as Deacon cooed while she watched Daryl and Rick walk down the street to the car that was parked in front of Rick's house. Carl sat on the hood of the car, waiting for them but when he heard them approach, he straightened up and walked around to the driver side door. He saw Abby watching and waved at her before climbing behind the steering wheel as Rick climbed in the passenger side and Daryl in the back. She waved as they drove slowly towards the gate then sighed as she looked at her son as he put some of her hair in his mouth.

"Well, my boy. Should we go see your aunties and help them clean the guns in the armoury?" Abby asked as she finally walked back into the house. She grabbed the diaper bag and walked out the door once more, to do what little she could for the time being.

END

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That's it folks, we have reached the end! Thanks to all my constant supporters, seeing your comments, seeing those who follow and/or favorite my stories. I seriously appreciated it. There were a couple days where I started losing my drive but seeing those notifications seriously helped. I probably won't be posting anything new for a while, I plan on working on my writing. The sort that'll actually make me money. If I do, it'll be unlikely to be a TWD fic more likely Mass Effect or something else. Once again, thanks for all the love! I didn't expect for so many to like my writing but I'm glad you do!

-Shockra


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